When Renzo Subido decided to skip out the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers’ UAAP Season 80 campaign, he had only one thing in mind: to improve his craft. And he was able to do so under coach Koy Banal in the Marinerong Pilipino Skippers.
After the AMA Online Education Titans saw a quick end to their campaign during the 2017 Foundation Cup, the 5-foot-9 floor general was immediately picked up by Marinerong Pilipino for the playoffs. And as they liked his style of play, he was again tapped for the 2018 Aspirants Cup.
And he showed a lot of growth from then, leading the Skippers to a 94-92 victory over fellow contenders Zark’s Jawbreakers. The 21-year-old tallied 20 points, three rebounds, and five assists while knocking down the crucial free throws to seal off the Lyceum-backed team.
“It was a good win for us. We’re happy that we won the game because it’s a good way to start the conference,” beamed Subido. “I’ve played against Lyceum in the past so I had familiarity with how they play.
“It was a good experience for us.”
Expectations are high for Marinerong Pilipino this conference, as their blend of veterans and young guns have been pegged as too overwhelming for the rest of the field. Still, Subido knows that it will be a tough climb since the other teams — especially the collegiate-based squads — have familiarity on their side.
“We’re taking it one game at a time but the goal is to win the championship,” he said. “But we know that it’s not going to be easy since we are going up against the top collegiate teams.
“So we’re just going to go all out every game.”
Besides winning the championship, Subido is on a personal mission. As one of the seniors for the Growling Tigers next season, he hopes to learn to become a better leader for next season.
“I want to become a better leader. I know that everything I can learn this conference, I can bring to UST,” Subido expressed.
“For all I can see, coach Aldin [Ayo] is a guard-oriented coach. So I’m using all the experience I get here in Marinero, I’ll bring it to UST.”
For sure, Subido wants to make up for lost time.
