The final piece to Colegio de San Juan de Letran’s title defense has arrived.
The Squires have secured another key addition to their already-loaded roster, with Gilas Pilipinas Youth standout Ethan Aguas committing to bolster their campaign in the NCAA Season 102 Juniors Basketball Tournament.
Aguas will reunite with former University of the East teammates Eoin Braga, Mhico Abellar, Ethan Oraa, Jolo Pascual, and Bench Copada, as well as former mentor and now Letran head coach Andrew Estrella.
“Very excited ako kasi magkakasama na naman ulit kami at may mga bagong makakasama, so very excited rin akong makasama ulit si Coach Andrew,” he told Tiebreaker Times on Monday morning.
While the Junior Warriors fell short of a Final Four appearance across all three UAAP seasons he played in (Seasons 86 to 88), the 6-foot-5 forward from Tarlac still emerged as one of the program’s bright spots.
(C) SMART Sports
In what turned out to be his final season with UE in Season 88, Aguas averaged 11.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.14 assists, 1.07 blocks, and 0.64 steals as the Junior Warriors finished fifth.
For Aguas, the familiarity and chemistry he shares with Pascual and his former teammates will be crucial as Letran looks to stand tall in a highly-competitive NCAA juniors field.
“Yung brotherhood siguro namin, tsaka yung mga challenges na hinarap namin na magkakasama — madadala namin ’yon hanggang sa Letran,” Aguas shared.
“Siguro gagawin ko lang yung best ko para makatulong na ma-defend yung title, at gagawin ko lang din yung role ko,” he added.
Aguas’ move to Letran came just a day after the Philippines completed an undefeated championship run in the 2026 SEABA Under-18 Championship in Krabi, Thailand.
There, he emerged as one of Gilas Youth’s top performers, averaging 12.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists across four games.
“Sobrang laking exposure nito para sa akin. Yung na-experience ko dito, madadala ko yon sa upcoming season namin sa NCAA.”
