University of the Philippines head coach Goldwin Monteverde has another student-athlete he is familiar with for the Fighting Maroons’ rebuild.
Harold Alarcon has enrolled in UP, and met the team on Wednesday morning.
For the 6-foot-1 native of Silay City, Negros Occidental, going to UP was a no-brainer. After all, he’ll join his ‘kuyas’ in Carl Tamayo, Gerry Abadiano, and Cyrel Gonzales, as well as batchmate Terrence Fortea.
But for him, it’s the UP education that made him ultimately choose to go to Diliman.
“To be honest I chose UP kasi una, not to sound cliché ,pero UP is isa sa may mga magandang education sa ating bansa. And malaking tulong siya sa’kin and for my growth as a college student.
“Another reason din is nung nakita ko news about sa mga former teammate ko, napag isip-isipan ko pa lalo kung ano makakabuti sa akin. Big factor na rin nung nalaman ko si Coach Gold nandun din,” Alarcon told Tiebreaker Times. “So nung time na ‘yun, gusto niya ako for his team, ginrab ko na ang opportunity na ‘yun.
“Siya ang unang nag-mold and nag-handle sa’kin pagdating ko dito sa Manila. And feeling ko hindi pa siya tapos i-improve ‘yung potential ko as a player. Masasabi ko na madami pa ako makukuha sa kanya when it comes sa basketball and growth,” he continued.
“Tiwala ako sa kanya and tiwala din siya sa akin. Tiwala rin ako sa mga magiging bagong teammates ko na magtulungan lang kami para malabas lang ‘yung best namin inside and outside ng basketball court.”
Alarcon made a name for himself during his time in Tay Tung High, especially when he dropped a 51-point triple-double during the National Basketball Training Center regionals back in 2018.
Alarcon transferred to National University-Nazareth School during the summer of that year.
During his two-year stay in NU, he posted norms of 4.75 points and 3.12 rebounds in 33 games played. The UAAP Season 83 tournament was supposed to be his breakout season in Manila.
The Fighting Maroons are rebuilding after losing the likes of Bright Akhuetie, the Gomez de Liaño brothers, and Kobe Paras during the extended off-season.
And for Alarcon, he and the rest of the Bullpups in NU will be an extension of Monteverde in implementing his system with this new batch of Fighting Maroons.
“Sobrang saya kasi first may experience na kami kasama si Coach Gold,” Alarcon said.
“And hindi na kami mahihirapan sa sistema ni Coach Gold. And pwede namin madala and ma-share sa teammates namin ‘yung habit na na-input sa’min ni Coach Gold.”
Fresh from high school, Alarcon will immediately be eligible for the UAAP Season 84 tournament. The competition will likely take place in a bubble in the first quarter of 2022.
