For a moment, Manu Iñigo thought his coaching career was over.
Once the architect of San Beda’s juniors’ basketball success, leading the Red Cubs to an NCAA championship in 2019, Iñigo found himself parting ways with the program in October 2022 due to an alleged human resources complaint.
The sudden dismissal shook him to the core, leaving him on the verge of walking away from the sport he loved.
“Maraming nakakaalam na kahit kami, hindi namin alam kung bakit kami inalis. Pero si God na rin ang gumawa ng way para makabalik kami sa basketball,” Iñigo admitted.
“Actually, nag-decide ako mag-quit sa coaching nung nangyari sa amin ‘yon.”
But just when he thought he had reached the end, UST came calling.
Instead of turning to an NCAA rival or seeking a role in the professional ranks, Iñigo found an unexpected fresh start in España.
Alongside his longtime ally Jarvis Co, he took on the challenge of rebuilding the University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs — a team that had been struggling to break through in the UAAP juniors’ basketball scene.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
His first season in the black and gold showed promise, improving UST’s record to 8-6, but it wasn’t enough to push past the league’s powerhouses.
Determined to turn the program around, Iñigo tapped into his coaching roots — reuniting with former San Beda standouts Wacky Ludovice and Kirk Canete while integrating key UST recruits such as Senegalese forward Racine Kane, Koji Buenaflor, Carl Manding, and Charles Bucsit.
Then, in just his second year, the transformation was complete.
On Thursday afternoon at the Filoil EcoOil Centre, Iñigo led UST to a dramatic 83-77 overtime victory over NU-Nazareth.
The win snapped a 24-year title drought and secured the Tiger Cubs’ first UAAP boys’ basketball championship since Season 64 in 2001.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
With the win, Iñigo became one of the rare coaches to win championships in both the NCAA and UAAP, joining the ranks of Turo Valenzona, Joel Banal, Koy Banal, and Aldin Ayo.
“Siyempre, ito yung pinaka-best para sa akin sa ngayon kasi nga doon sa pinagdaanan namin, talagang sobrang sakit yung nangyari sa amin sa San Beda noon. Pero binigay ni God sa amin ito, kaya ito yung pinaka-special for me,” said Inigo, also crediting his staff which has Andy Mejos, Noli Mejos, and VL Sandalo.
“Talagang trinabaho namin, pumasok kami ng underdogs kami. Yung mga dati ko kasi na championships, talagang right from the start, lamang kami. Pero ito umpisa pa lang, alam na namin na we were underdogs. Ito yung pinaka-special for me kasi trinabaho namin lahat.”
