The conclusion of UAAP Season 88 saw many teams bid farewell to players who had impacted their squads’ winning ways over the past years. There were La Salle Green Archers Mike Phillips and Kean Baclaan, who started their careers as opponents but ended as championship teammates. There were the UP the Fighting Maroons’ fabled “Maroon 5,” who stayed together since high school. There was also UST Growling Tigers guard Nic Cabañero, who brought España back to relevancy after years on the league’s losing end.
Amid the UAAP departures, however, new doors of opportunity open for many student-athletes who also want to etch their names in their schools’ history—and Season 89 might just be full of them.
With the basketball offseason in full effect and leagues like Asiabasket giving fans a sneak peek of their retooled squads, it might be as good a time to check out the new names who could very well be the next cornerstones of their respective schools. And, at this point, these three names come to mind as Season 89 of the UAAP draws near.
Sean Franco: UP Fighting Maroons
After failing to defend their UAAP Season 87 championship, UP will be looking to reload and reshape its lineup for the upcoming season amid many departures.
The Fighting Maroons’ infamous “Maroon 5,” which consisted of Harold Alarcon, Gerry Abadiano, Terrence Fortea, Reyland Torres, and Janjan Felicilda, has already bid farewell to Katipunan after exhausting all of their playing years. This means that the UP offense will have to lean on its new recruits—and Sean Franco could be one of them.
Franco, who hails from Arellano University, is the reigning NCAA Season 101 Juniors Division MVP and will look to bolster a new-look UP squad featuring the core of Rey Remogat, Jacob Bayla, Francis Nnoruka, as well as transferees Veejay Pre and James Payosing.
In his final year with Arellano, the 6-foot-2 wing averaged 16.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.7 assists to lead his team to a finals bout with Letran, where they eventually lost.
His addition also improves UP’s defense in the forward position, as Franco won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year titles in his high school stint.
Coming off their fifth straight UAAP Men’s Basketball Finals appearance, the Maroons will definitely still have a lot of fight left in them, as Franco’s addition improves UP’s hopes of bringing the crown back to Diliman.
Kieffer Alas: Ateneo Blue Eagles
Historically speaking, the name “Kieffer” alone definitely means good things for Ateneo.
After a short stint in the US to further develop his basketball repertoire, Kieffer Alas is returning to the Philippines by way of the UAAP and will be representing the blue-and-white moving forward.
Throughout UAAP Season 88, the Blue Eagles had an up-and-down campaign, which ended downhill as their Round 2 loss to rivals DLSU shut the door on any Final Four aspirations. They finished their campaign with a 6-8 slate.
Ateneo also had to bid farewell to an important set of players, with Josh Lazaro exhausting his playing years, and with one-and-dones Kymani Ladi, Dom Escobar, and Jayden Lazo completing their short stint with the team.
During Season 87, the 6-foot-2 forward represented De La Salle-Zobel in the Juniors tournament, where he eventually won the MVP award, averaging 20 points, 11 rebounds, and 4.9 assists.
Aside from Alas, Ateneo has also secured the services of Palarong Pambansa MVP Rene Baterbonia and current high school standout Jay-M Leal.
With Jared Bahay looking to transition as the team’s captain, as well as Shawn Tuano and Divine Adili continuing to fortify their defense, the Blue Eagle community can definitely expect better days ahead with Alas landing in their nest.
Henry Suico: UST Growling Tigers
UAAP Season 88 marked the final years of combo guards Nic Cabanero, Forthsky Padrigao, and Kyle Paranada at the University of Santo Tomas.
In desperate need of firepower at the point guard position, the Growling Tigers replenished that empty spot quickly, securing the services of high school standout Henry Suico.
Hailing from the Sacred Heart School–Ateneo de Cebu, Suico’s dazzling performance in the CESAFI 25 Juniors Basketball Tournament was what made numerous UAAP squads inquire about his services—UST eventually won the sweepstakes.
The 6-foot-1 playmaker averaged 11.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.4 assists as he ushered the Magis Eagles to their seventh straight title.
Suico’s move to España also marks a reunion between him and former Ateneo high school standout Kris Porter, who will also be making his debut for UST in Season 89.
With reigning Rookie of the Year Collins Akowe looking to lead the squad, backed up by wingers Gelo Crisostomo and Amiel Acido, Suico and the Growling Tigers will look to take the crown back to España in the foreseeable future.
