Pido Jarencio is not going anywhere — and neither is the backing of the country’s biggest conglomerate in the sporting scene.
The University of Santo Tomas, Jarencio, and San Miguel Corporation have come to terms on a two-year agreement that will continue SMC’s support of the Growling Tigers through the UAAP Season 90 Men’s Basketball Tournament in 2027, sources told Tiebreaker Times on Monday.
The development was first reported by Spin.ph.
Tasked with reviving a UST program that languished to a 4–24 record from Seasons 84 to 85, Jarencio returned to España for Season 86 in 2023. He brought with him not only deep familiarity with the program, but also a much-needed boost through SMC’s involvement.
Season 86 proved to be a transitional year, as the Growling Tigers finished eighth with a 2–12 slate. However, the next two seasons offered a glimpse of hope for a program that last captured UAAP men’s basketball glory in Season 69 (2006) — Jarencio’s first year at the helm.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
In both Seasons 87 and 88, UST bowed out in the Final Four at the hands of the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, marking two semifinal appearances in three seasons under Jarencio’s guidance and with SMC’s support.
While a return to the Finals remained elusive, Jarencio and SMC delivered something beyond what championships or medals alone could measure: the establishment of a solid UST core capable of contending for the title in the coming seasons.
Led by Season 88 Rookie of the Year Collins Akowe alongside Gelo Crisostomo, Mark Llemit, and Amiel Acido, the post–Nic Cabanero and Forthsky Padrigao era has begun on a promising note with the continued presence of Jarencio and SMC.
Beyond the young core, the likes of Kurt Laput, Kristian Porter, Mur Alao, James Jumao-as, and Jun Melecio give Jarencio a formidable supporting cast as the Growling Tigers aim to climb back to the top of the highly competitive UAAP men’s basketball landscape.
