Once the gold standard of UAAP boys’ basketball in the pre-pandemic era, Ateneo de Manila University built its dominance on depth and a thriving grassroots pipeline that consistently produced not only the future of its men’s team, but also the future of Philippine basketball.
That identity, however, proved difficult to sustain when the COVID-19 pandemic halted multiple grassroots developmental pathways across the country.
The rest of the eight-team field — Far Eastern University-Diliman, Adamson University, and even the University of Santo Tomas — quickly adjusted to the post-pandemic landscape. That left Ateneo, the winningest UAAP boys’ basketball program with 19 titles, missing the Final Four for three straight seasons in a tournament and conversation it once owned.
Eager to keep pace with the continued evolution of the field, the Blue Eagles — through the efforts of former head coach Ford Arao and men’s team manager Epok Quimpo — recruited Nigerian center Jude Eriobu to bolster Ateneo’s redemption bid in the UAAP Season 88 Boys’ Basketball Tournament.
In his UAAP boys’ basketball debut, Eriobu wasted no time making an immediate impact. He erupted for 28 points, 14 rebounds, four blocks, and one steal in a 91-84 win over the University of the East Junior Warriors on Sunday at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
“I would say it’s a new experience. I love the experience. The fans came out to support us, and we had to get the job done because we’ve been working for eight months with our coach,” the 17-year-old Eriobu said postgame.
“We’ve been training. And like he said, we didn’t enjoy our holiday. We were just working throughout the holiday. So, it’s worth it. And we’ll win more.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
What was less visible beneath Eriobu’s dominant debut was the work he put in behind the scenes over the past eight months. He not only had to adapt to the physicality of Philippine basketball, but also to the officiating in one of the country’s premier amateur leagues.
Thanks to Ateneo’s rigorous preseason grind, which included a bronze-medal finish in the Asiabasket Youth League last month and participation in the 2026 Jesuit Athletic Meet, the Ayela Uwangue Academy product gradually acclimated to the demands of Philippine hoops.
“At first, it was kind of like, tough. The referees and the calls were more different, but the more games I played, I got used to it. So, I adjusted with the call and the physicality,” Eriobu shared.
From the perspective of new head coach Bacon Austria, none of this would have been possible without the timely groundwork laid by his former college teammate, Arao.
Named head coach late last year, Austria expressed his appreciation for inheriting a squad that features not only a formidable foreign student-athlete in Eriobu, but also a much deeper Blue Eagles roster led by Noah Banal, Jay M Leal, Ziv Espinas, and Zane Kallos.
“When I got here, it was set. Pool of players and pool of coaches, they are easy to work with. Props to coach Ford, he built this team. He called me before he left and his family moved out of the country. Teammate ko yan si coach Ford back in college, and we have a good relationship,” said Austria, the son of 10-time PBA champion coach Leo Austria.
“When the job was offered to me, actually he was calling me to get it. He was telling me that Noah’s coming in, we have two FSA’s in the lineup that might be able to play. I’m giving the props to coach Ford on how the team was built.”
With a deeper roster behind him and a coaching staff that includes Austria and longtime Ateneo mentor Reggie Varilla, Eriobu is embracing the pressure of serving as one of Ateneo’s primary catalysts in its climb back to the summit of UAAP boys’ basketball.
“We are all really hungry, not just me, to get the championship this season because we have to get it done.”
