Eras always define the UAAP.
From the early 2010s, when superstar-driven teams were carried by the likes of Kiefer Ravena, Jeron Teng, and Ray Parks Jr., to the late 2010s, which saw the rise of elite coaching masterminds like Aldin Ayo at La Salle and UST, and Tab Baldwin at Ateneo, each period left its own mark on collegiate sports.
Then came the 2020s, an era abruptly paused for over a year by the pandemic.
When the league finally resumed, a new pattern emerged: the stars of the post-pandemic UAAP—from men’s basketball to collegiate volleyball—largely came from one source: the National University Nazareth School high school program.
But as with all eras, this one, too, was destined to end—especially in college sports, where athletes have only five years, and sometimes even fewer, to make their mark before turning professional.
The Golden Era of the NUNS Bullpups is now drawing to a close.
ARCHERS, MAROONS, AND BULLDOGS
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
In the five post-pandemic seasons of UAAP collegiate men’s basketball, the University of the Philippines established itself as a modern powerhouse, reaching the Finals in all five editions.
December of this year marked the end of the final remnants of the legendary Season 82 NUNS Boys’ Basketball team—the squad that swept the entire tournament en route to a championship.
Now famously known as UP’s “Maroon 5,” Harold Alarcon, Terrence Fortea, Reyland Torres, Gerry Abadiano, and Ernest Felicilda concluded their UAAP careers as silver medalists after falling to La Salle in Season 88. Guiding them all the way through was the same mentor who molded them in high school: Goldwin Monteverde.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
While many followed Monteverde to Diliman, Steve Nash Enriquez chose loyalty, spending all five of his collegiate years with National University—the school that took a chance on him while he was still a raw, untapped prospect.
Others, however, reached such dominant heights in the UAAP that they were compelled to turn professional early, even with years of eligibility remaining.
Carl Tamayo and Kevin Quiambao.
Tamayo played just two UAAP seasons in less than a calendar year, helping UP end a 36-year championship drought in the “bubble” Season 84 before settling for silver in Season 85 in late 2022. He then took his talents overseas, first signing with the Ryukyu Golden Kings in the Japan B.League before transferring to the Changwon LG Sakers in the Korean Basketball League. Tamayo would go on to win championships with both teams.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Quiambao, meanwhile, chose a different path from most of his NUNS teammates. Instead of joining Monteverde in UP, the do-it-all forward headed to La Salle and built a legacy of his own.
He was named Rookie of the Year in Season 85, followed by back-to-back Most Valuable Player awards in Seasons 86 and 87. More importantly, he led the Green Archers back to the summit with a championship in Season 86. After Season 87, Quiambao cut his collegiate career short and signed with the Goyang Sono Skygunners in the KBL, where he continues to play today.
GRIP ON THE TARAFLEX
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
The golden legacy of NUNS, however, extends far beyond men’s basketball and onto the taraflex.
That dominance was already evident in Season 82, when both the boys’ and girls’ volleyball teams captured championships in contrasting fashion.
The Bullpups took the harder road, barely squeezing into the Final Four with a 7–5 record before stunning second-ranked University of the East twice, then sweeping top-seeded Far Eastern University in the Finals.
The Lady Bullpups, on the other hand, left no doubt, marching to a flawless 16–0 championship run.
The protagonists of those high school title teams would soon become the main characters of the UAAP’s post-pandemic era.
Bella Belen led the charge in her very first collegiate season, making history as the first-ever Rookie-MVP in the women’s division while spearheading NU’s own 16–0 sweep in Season 84.
Joining her as rookies were fellow former Lady Bullpups Sheena Toring, Erin Pangilinan, Alyssa Solomon, and Camilla Lamina. All except Lamina have since turned professional, with Solomon now playing in Japan’s SV.League and the others competing in the Premier Volleyball League.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
On the men’s side, Michaelo Buddin was the senior of that Season 82 NUNS squad and has since blossomed into a full-fledged star for NU. He has not only become one of the UAAP’s premier players but has also represented Alas Pilipinas in multiple international competitions, including the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
He was not alone. Menard Guerrero also carved out a name for himself as a standout libero with La Salle, playing through his final hurrah in Season 87 last May and winning two Best Libero honors.
AN ERA NEARS ITS END
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
While the end of 2025 did not provide the Golden Boys of NUNS with the perfect ending they envisioned—neither the Maroon 5, Enriquez, nor Guerrero reached the summit—all is not lost.
The hope for a golden finale to the era that defined the post-pandemic UAAP now rests with Lamina and Buddin, as they look to close out their collegiate careers on a high note in 2026.
Storybook endings are never guaranteed. But from Tamayo to Lamina, NUNS has already authored—and continues to write—one of the most remarkable fairy-tale beginnings to countless athletes’ dreams.
