Kent Pastrana isn’t just stepping onto the court — she’s stepping up to the challenge.
The University of Santo Tomas ace is relishing the chance to test her skills against her idols in the 2025 Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (WMPBL) Invitational Tournament.
There, she sees every game as an opportunity to grow, learn, and elevate her game to the next level.
“Siguro personally, dahil makakalaban namin dito mostly puro beterano na, siguro ‘yung pagiging matured sa loob ng court, paano mag-handle ng emotions, and paano maging leader sa loob ng court. Yung mga skills din siyempre na makukuha namin sa mga veterans dito sa WMPBL,” said Pastrana, a three-time UAAP Mythical Team member.
The 5-foot-7 winger also emphasized that UST’s participation in the WMPBL will be crucial to their redemption campaign in UAAP Season 88.
“Siguro mas marami kaming matutunan sa kanila siyempre. As a part din ng leader dito sa team, siguro kailangan naming magtulungan talaga sa loob ng court and kung ano ‘yung game plan namin, lalo na sa mga bagong players namin,” she said.
“Malaking tulong ‘yung WMPBL kasi marami kaming matututunan for preparation for the upcoming UAAP season.”
Pastrana sees the WMPBL not just as a competitive battleground but also as an opportunity to go up against the players she idolizes and gain insights from their experience on the court.
After already facing Allana Lim — who also serves as her coach at UST — during the league’s opening day, she is now looking forward to a match-up with another one of her idols: Afril Bernardino.
(C) WMPBL
The UST standout shared that she has long admired the three-time UAAP MVP, who led National University to three championships. Beyond Bernardino’s leadership and versatility, Pastrana also respects her humility — qualities she hopes to embody in her own career.
“Before pa kasi nung high school ako, idol ko talaga si Afril (Bernardino),” Pastrana admitted.
“Kasi ‘yung unang nood ko ng UAAP, siya talaga ‘yung nakita ko agad — ‘yung the way siya maglaro sa loob ng court, sobrang humble niya, pinapakita niya talaga ‘yung sportsmanship niya and sobrang sipag niya sa loob ng court.”
Pastrana recently led the Growling Tigresses to a dominant 105-33 victory over Centro Escolar University last Wednesday at Enderun Gym.
She put up an impressive all-around performance, finishing with 22 points on 63 percent shooting, along with seven assists, five rebounds, and five steals.
