University of the Philippines received a timely boost in its UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament campaign with the addition of Korean coach Cho Donghyun.
Cho made his debut on the Fighting Maroons’ bench on Saturday as they secured a 66-59 victory over the National University Bulldogs at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Before joining UP as an assistant coach, Cho served as head coach of Ulsan Hyundai Mobis in the Korean Basketball League.
His twin brother, Cho Sanghyun, is currently mentoring former UP star Carl Tamayo at Changwon LG.
Donghyun was released by the Phoebus after the 2024-25 season and was replaced by Yang Donggeun.
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According to Fighting Maroons head coach Goldwin Monteverde, Cho brings a fresh voice to the dugout that could further strengthen the defending champions’ push for back-to-back titles.
“Si Coach Cho naman matagal na namin siyang kaibigan and right now, he’s helping us out sa team sa mga preparations namin,” Monteverde told Tiebreaker Times after the game, as UP has held preseason camps in Korea over the past three years.
“Well, siguro yung knowledge that he has ‘yung madadala niya sa team. Syempre iba naman yung basketball sa kanila. Whatever he could bring sa team.”
For the soft-spoken Monteverde, exposing his players to new perspectives beyond their usual circle is essential for growth, making Donghyun’s presence particularly valuable.
The Fighting Maroons have evened their record at 2-2 after a rocky start, which included losses to the UST Growling Tigers and Adamson Soaring Falcons.
“Ang basketball naman napakalawak niyan eh ‘di ba? Malaking bagay kung anong pwede niyang i-impart para sa mga players syempre. Nakakarinig sila ng ibang boses that could contribute. Malaking bagay yan sa improvement nila,” Monteverde said.
Donghyun has been with the team for the past week and will remain with them throughout the tournament.
He is expected to be on the bench again for UP’s next challenge — a clash against a resurgent Ateneo de Manila University squad on Wednesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
