Following the departures of Nic Cabañero and Forthsky Padrigao, the University of Santo Tomas did not have to look far to bolster its depth ahead of the UAAP Season 89 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament.
After much deliberation, Tiger Cubs standouts Kirk Canete and Charles Esteban — along with one-and-done point guard Donovan Sevilla — have officially committed to suit up for the Growling Tigers under head coach Pido Jarencio.
Sources closely monitoring the situation confirmed the development to Tiebreaker Times on Tuesday afternoon.
Canete and Esteban were key figures in the UST boys’ basketball program that ended a 24-year title drought in Season 87, steering the Tiger Cubs to a thrilling three-game Finals victory over National University Nazareth School.
Eager to bounce back from a disappointing sixth-place finish in Season 88, both players also played major roles in the Tiger Cubs’ silver-medal run in the 2026 NBTC Division 1 National Tournament, where they fell to three-time defending champion Fil-Am National Select last March 29.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Canete, a 5-foot-10 point guard and a member of the Season 88 Elite Team, averaged 9.64 points, 7.21 assists, 5.21 rebounds, and 1.93 steals in his final year under Tiger Cubs head coach Manu Inigo.
Esteban, meanwhile, posted averages of 7.07 points, 4.43 rebounds, 1.29 assists, and 1.14 steals across 14 games in Season 88.
“Of course, we are all very happy na nakuha ulit sa UST yung mga players natin coming from the HS program,” Inigo told Tiebreaker Times.
“Yan naman talaga ang plan namin ni Coach Pido and Father Rodel [Cansancio] right from the start, na yung players from HS, aakyat sa college team natin. My staff and I are very proud of them, and we are blessed na nakakapag develop pa rin kami ng players for the next level.”
Following Canete’s commitment, along with the earlier addition of Cebuano floor general Henry Suico last early March, another point guard expected to help fill the void left by Padrigao and Kyle Paranada is Sevilla — a 6-foot-1 playmaker with extensive experience in the US NCAA.
Sevilla began his collegiate career in the United States with the Division III program at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. There, he earned several individual accolades, including the 2023 NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year award, a spot on the 2023 NABC All-District Team, and CSC Academic All-District honors.
After four seasons, Sevilla — a guard from San Ramon, California — transferred to Division II program Sonoma State University for the 2024–2025 season. He averaged 3.7 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists on 45 percent shooting in limited minutes.
Now 24 years old and having completed his undergraduate studies in 2025, Sevilla is eligible to join the Growling Tigers as a one-and-done player in Season 89.
The additions of Canete, Suico, and Sevilla significantly strengthen UST’s backcourt rotation, which already features Ivanne Calum, Mur Alao, and Kurt Laput.
Meanwhile, Esteban is expected to bolster the Growling Tigers’ frontcourt depth, joining Gelo Crisostomo, high school teammate Koji Buenaflor, and Nigerian center Collins Akowe.
