Forthsky Padrigao knew early on that he would miss University of Santo Tomas’ UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament opener against University of the Philippines, so he took extra time to prepare for his first game.
The 6-foot floor general served a one-game suspension last Sunday against the Fighting Maroons, a penalty stemming from two unsportsmanlike fouls he committed in UST’s final game of Season 87—a 69-78 defeat to UP in the Final Four.
Knowing he would miss the opener, Padrigao shifted his focus early to the Green Archers of De La Salle University.
His preparation paid off. UST stunned La Salle, 93-84, to start the tournament 2-0 on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Padrigao shone with 12 points, nine assists, three steals, and three rebounds, finishing with a game-best plus-15 in 28 minutes and 34 seconds on the floor.
The graduating guard told Tiebreaker Times that he even watched La Salle’s opener against the Adamson Soaring Falcons on Sept. 20 live at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“Well, first, I watched talaga yung Adamson-La Salle game since sa QPav siya, kaya nanood ako live. I think ito siguro yung pinaka nag-prepare talaga ako versus La Salle. Yung scouting and the rest, it’s from the coaches na,” he said.
“We prepared as a team and individually and then yun lang, I know [already] na La Salle yung first game ko eh so ‘yung preparations ko dinirect ko towards La Salle,” Padrigao added during the postgame press conference.
With victories over last year’s finalists La Salle and UP, UST has emerged as a strong contender this season.
But for Padrigao, two wins are just the beginning. The Growling Tigers remain focused on each game, with their next challenge coming from the 2-0 NU Bulldogs.
“Wala namang (statement). We just stick to our principles, what we do as a team, we’re glad na we’re progressing but mahaba pa ‘yung season eh,” Padrigao said.
“This is just the first two games and a lot of teams ngayon amped up their lineup, mas magagaling na, mas competitive so you can’t never count anyone out here sa liga natin.”
#WATCH: Forthsky Padrigao, a product of Ateneo, is glad that he was able to help end UST’s long skid against La Salle 🐯🏀
📹 @ErnestTuazon /Tiebreaker Times#UAAPSeason88 pic.twitter.com/0T4zXesijZ
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 27, 2025
