Growth never ends, even for a seasoned coach like Eric Altamirano.
Already established as a veteran tactician in amateur basketball, professional hoops, and 3×3, Altamirano returned to the UAAP after 10 years to take on a new challenge.
Altamirano came back home last March to the University of the Philippines, his alma mater, to lead a new era for its women’s basketball program.
“Of course, number one is this is my way of giving back to my alma mater. This is where I started my career and has given me a lot of opportunities, opened doors for me, to put me where I am now in basketball,” said Altamirano on Tuesday during the UAAP Season 89 press conference at the Novotel Manila.
“Number two is yung passion for women’s sports. I started coaching women’s basketball two to three years ago, and I fell in love with it, so I wanted to go into this space.”
(C) UP OASD
In 2023, Altamirano served as a consultant for the Gilas Pilipinas Women 3×3 squad before taking on the same role for the Pilipinas Aguilas in the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League last year.
Altamirano and his coaching staff took over the UP program after Paul Ramos and his staff stepped down following Season 88, ending their seven-year stint with the Fighting Maroons.
UP has missed the Final Four in each of the last two seasons after an encouraging 10-4 third-place finish in Season 86.
This year, however, the Fighting Maroons will enter the season with a mix of experienced seniors and blue-chip recruits.
Joining the team as one-and-done additions are Ashleyn Loon, Rica Torres, Claire Tapinit, and prized recruit Kennan Ka, who is also part of the Gilas Women 3×3 team that will compete in the Asian Games.
Returning to lead the way are holdovers Louna Ozar, Camille Nolasco, Kaye Pesquera, and Achrissa Maw.
“Of course, I’m very new to the team, so I’m still getting to know the players and building trust among each other. Also trying to implement a new system, but I like what I see in practice and also very optimistic about the foundation that we’re building here,” said Altamirano.
“I think we have very good players. It’s just a matter of putting them altogether.”
UAAP women’s basketball will have a later start this Season 89 as the league adjusted its schedule to accommodate member-school athletes who will compete in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games this month.
