In the highly-competitive landscape of collegiate hoops, transferring from one storied program to another can easily spark drama and animosity, amplified by the country’s modern era of player movement where loyalty is often questioned.
However, for Janti Miller, stepping into the Blue Eagle Gym to face former school San Beda University — now as a member of De La Salle University — didn’t feel so much like a showdown as a reunion.
Since making the move from Mendiola to Taft over three months ago, the NCAA Season 101 Seniors Basketball Tournament champion — who averaged 19.77 points, 6.08 rebounds, and 1.15 assists per game last season — has been clear that, at the end of the day, it’s “all love” between him and the Yuri Escueta-mentored Red Lions.
“I love San Beda. I think a lot of people might have something to say. But as far as what I am hearing and experiencing, this is all love,” Miller told reporters on Sunday afternoon.
“It’s all love back for me. I get to talk to all my former San Beda teammates, I talk to them still to this day. This is all love.”
That sense of respect and gratitude is rooted not only in San Beda’s championship run last season, but also in the lessons Miller gained from Escueta and his former teammates — shaping him into the player he is today.
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For the 6-foot-5 guard, the insights he learned from a decorated mentor like Escueta, along with former teammates Yukien Andrada, Bryan Sajonia, and Nygel Gonzales, helped him “fit like a glove” in his new home in the UAAP with the Green Archers.
From once sharing the floor with Andrada, Miller now plays alongside the UAAP men’s basketball defending champions, led by Jacob Cortez, Mason Amos, Earl Abadam, Luis Pablo, and Jcee Macalalag.
“Coach Yuri played a big part in that. And playing in the championship of the NCAA. That was my first time having a championship run last year,” Miller explained.
“San Beda taught me a lot of things about the game of basketball that helped me to come and fit in like a glove here.”
Despite the mutual respect, Miller still managed to carve out a measure of redemption against his former team.
In his first matchup against San Beda, he was limited to just four points in 15 minutes of action in a narrow 76-77 loss to the Red Lions during the NSAC 2026 College Basketball Campus Tour opener.
But with higher stakes and a podium finish on the line, the 22-year-old guard responded with 18 points, three rebounds, one block, and one assist in a commanding 78-61 victory over San Beda to secure a bronze-medal finish.
“The last time that I played San Beda, I did not play really good. So I wanted to come out here individually and play good and get a dominant win over my former team. And also because yesterday, we lost for a chance to go to the finals. It’s just a good win,” Miller shared.
“It was more fun. Way more fun. Me and Dan [Marcelo] were talking the other day, saying that we should have been playing in the championship game. This match-up should have been the championship game. But it was still good and fun to battle for third.”
