With numerous offseason developments in the UAAP, driven by departures, graduations, and transfers, University of Santo Tomas is focused on ensuring a seamless transition for its players from high school to the senior ranks.
This commitment stems from UST’s historic success across all five divisions of UAAP 5-on-5 basketball in Season 87.
For the first time in school history, every UST team finished on the podium.
In the past two weeks, the Tigress and the Tiger Cubs claimed the UAAP Season 87 Girls’ and Boys’ Basketball Tournament championships, respectively.
Meanwhile, the Junior Tiger Cubs secured silver in the Junior High School Tournament last December.
Their senior counterparts also found success, with the Growling Tigresses earning silver and the Growling Tigers clinching bronze in the UAAP Season 87 Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournaments.
Since taking over as head coach, Manu Iñigo has remained focused on one clear goal beyond winning a UAAP championship: developing young talent to eventually reinforce the Growling Tigers under head coach Pido Jarencio.
A key factor in UST’s decision to bring in Inigo was the program’s struggle to retain its top high school prospects, many of whom opted for rival schools.
Notable examples include Bismarck Lina (UP, San Beda), Andrei Dungo (La Salle), and Jacob Cortez (San Beda, La Salle). In the past three UAAP boys’ basketball seasons, only Mark Llemit made the transition from the Tiger Cubs to the Growling Tigers.
Recognizing this trend, Iñigo assured that he, Jarencio, and Institute of Physical Education and Athletics director Fr. Rodel Cansancio, O.P., are working together to secure the transition of standout Tiger Cubs players — including Koji Buenaflor, Carl Manding, Charles Bucsit, Alfred Loreto, Duke Solon, and Jude Javier — to the Growling Tigers, who recently lost key players Migs Pangilinan, Chase Lane, and Christian Manaytay.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“That’s really the plan. Kaya kami kinuha ni Coach Pido at ni Father Rodel sa UST juniors, para yung players na dinedevelop namin sa juniors — mula junior high school team hanggang dito sa 19-and-under team namin — mapunta sa seniors. Hopefully naman, doon mapunta lahat ng seniors namin,” Inigo told Tiebreaker Times after UST’s Game 3 victory over National University Nazareth School, which ended a 24-year UAAP boys’ basketball title drought.
“Aside kasi sa mga na-accomplish namin ngayong season, dito namin makikita kung talaga bang nagbunga yung efforts namin ng coaching staff. We all share the same goal kasi na mag-develop ng mga bata to make it to the next level, with that next level being college and, hopefully, still being UST,” he added.
Junior Growling Tigresses head coach Sen Dysangco echoed Inigo’s vision. He has long worked to establish a grassroots program that would serve as a direct pipeline to UST’s women’s basketball team, which already features stars like Kent Pastrana, Eka Soriano, and Agatha Bron.
Unlike the Tiger Cubs, who have seen several key departures to rival schools, Dysangco feels pleased with the progress of his development system, which he built alongside Growling Tigresses head coach Haydee Ong.
In the past two years, Ceejay Maglupay, Gin Reliquette, Karylle Sierba, and Ayesha Pescador successfully transitioned from UST’s girls’ basketball program to the Growling Tigresses.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Me and Coach Haydee, we have planned this — yung aming grassroots program. We try to build the best high school players, and then, the best ones, we’ll take them to our women’s team. Of course, having said that, hindi naman sa to a point na we’re not going to recruit doon sa aming college team, pero at least nabibigyan natin ng chance yung mga bata to make it, right,” Dysangco told Tiebreaker Times after the Junior Growling Tigresses’ Game 2 win over the NUNS Lady Bullpups, which secured UST’s first formal UAAP girls’ basketball championship.
As Dysangco and Ong shift their attention to integrating their graduating players — Season 87 MVP Barby Dajao, Kassandra Tambawan, Jannah Wencenslao, Giorgina Anonuevo, and Clerence Onate — into the seniors’ division, they also remain focused on further strengthening their grassroots system.
This approach is fueled by the talent pipeline within the Junior Growling Tigresses, which features promising players such as Grade 10 forward Sandra Abrantes, Grade 10 guard and Season 87 Rookie of the Year Rhianne Perez, and Grade 10 guard and Season 87 Mythical Five member Katrina Insoy, among others.
“Rest assured na we’re going to continue on building the grassroots ng UST. This time around, may mga, actually si Sandra is Grade 10, Kat Insoy is Grade 11, Rhianne is Grade 10. Ang ide-develop din namin is yung sa baba na talaga — yung mga Grade 9 at Grade 8 especially,” Dysangco explained.
He added, “Kasi you really need to develop them, get them out of the sofa, get them out of the couch, in front of their TV, in front of their cellphones and computers, and have them do something inside sa court. Teach them how to fail, have them fail and know what to do.”
With a strong foundation in place and a shared commitment to talent development, UST’s basketball programs are ensuring a bright future for the Growling Tigers and Tigresses, built on homegrown excellence.
