UAAP Season 89 tips off on Sunday, September 13, with the Men’s Basketball Tournament, and we could be witnessing one of the tightest seasons in recent memory.
But before everything else, we put together a list featuring the sleeper candidates from each university. If the term seems unfamiliar, a “sleeper” is a player who is generally undervalued by the public but presents an enormous upside that could spell the difference for his team’s season.
Without any further ado, let’s get to it.
Adamson Soaring Falcons: AJ Fransman
Don’t look now, but the Adamson Soaring Falcons’ AJ Fransman is already in his third UAAP season, and there is a certain air to him that points to Season 89 being a major year for him.
Last season, Adamson scored one of the biggest upset victories when they upended the then-defending champs, the UP Fighting Maroons, early in the first round. Fransman played a huge role there by dropping 10 points, alongside Ray Allen Torres, who hit the game-winning three.
Despite the success, Fransman is still being viewed as someone who’s a year away from making that leap to stardom. Well, Season 89 is his chance to prove his supporters right and his doubters wrong.
Ateneo Blue Eagles: Drew Bongo
The Ateneo Blue Eagles are heading into UAAP Season 89 with a huge chip on their shoulder, as many expect them to fail in light of the Aurora tragedy this past June. However, they will be looking toward Drew Bongo to help carry a huge chunk of the load.
Season 88 was a down year for Ateneo’s stretch big, partly due to the arrival of one-and-done sensation Kymani Ladi. From knocking down threes and making big shots with ease in the previous season, he struggled mightily in this one.
Bongo appears to have turned the corner back to his previous self after a strong couple of preseason performances, finding his shooting touch once more. The 3×3 experience with Gilas Pilipinas might have done wonders for his confidence, and he’ll be a key cog in Ateneo surprising the entire UAAP.
UP Fighting Maroons: Chicco Briones
Last season’s runners-up have retooled heavily for UAAP Season 89, and Chicco Briones will surely have a much bigger role with the UP Fighting Maroons.
In the offseason, they lost Reyland Torres, Mark Belmonte, Gerry Abadiano, Terence Fortea, Harold Alarcon, and Janjan Felicilda. With the vaunted “Maroon 5” gone, it allows talented wingers like Chicco Briones to step up, take their place, and become the next stars in line.
This will be Briones’ third UAAP season, and with that usually being when young players make “the leap,” who’s to say that he will not be among the top guys in the league by the Final Four?
La Salle Green Archers: JC Macalalag
The defending champions have a couple of holes across the depth chart that they need to fill, and JC Macalalag will be relied upon to do a lot of things—both on the box score and the immeasurables.
La Salle will be without the services of Mike Phillips down low and EJ Gollena at the wing, with the former having used up his eligibility and the latter transferring to the JRU Heavy Bombers. Coach Topex Robinson will likely try to make up for their losses by committee, though Macalalag is sure to be at the forefront of it all.
With the perfect blend of height, athleticism, and a much-improved offensive bag (which he showcased during the team’s Japan excursion in mid-August), Macalalag is primed to shock those unfamiliar with his game.
FEU Tamaraws: Jedric Daa
The FEU Tamaraws are aspiring to return to the Final Four for the first time since UAAP Season 84 (Olsen Racela’s penultimate season with the Tams), and Jedric Daa stepping up his game will be the answer.
Following Janrey Pasaol’s surprising MVP campaign, Jorick Bautista’s insane scoring capabilities, Kirby Mongcopa’s two-way play, and Mo Konateh locking down the paint, Daa could be that missing connecting piece/glue guy to bring it all together.
Capable of serving as a tertiary option scorer and all-around hustle guy, the third-year guard could be head coach Sean Chambers’ magic bunot.
UST Growling Tigers: Kirk Cañete
The youngest and newest player on this list, former UST Tiger Cub Kirk Cañete, just might be the answer to the Growling Tigers’ point guard woes.
In light of the departures of lead guard Forthsky Padrigao and electrifying combo guard Kyle Paranada, Cañete will likely have a ton of opportunities to grow in that role. Mur Alao and one-and-done player Landyn Jumawan are ahead of him on the depth chart for now due to their years of experience, but the youngster should be able to learn a lot from them.
The thing with UST is that they like to move the ball, where big wing guards like Mark Llemit and Amiel Acido can operate as pseudo-point guards and still run the offense well. Still, Cañete was a decent contributor during preseason, and that should continue into Season 89 itself.
NU Bulldogs: Tebol Garcia
The NU Bulldogs are facing a rebuilding year after losing key cogs Jake Figueroa, Steve Nash Enriquez, and Jolo Manansala to the pros, but some still view them as a fringe Final Four contender. Tebol Garcia can help them achieve that projection.
It only makes sense to have that much expectation on him since Garcia is the fourth third-year player on this list, and he should be more than capable of running the show alongside Reinhard Jumamoy. Both of them will look to fill the hole that Enriquez left at point, though Garcia is more suited to do so, while Jumamoy can shift to the two spot.
UAAP Season 89 will not be easy at all for the Bulldogs, but if Garcia makes that leap, don’t be surprised if the Jeff Napa-coached side spoils many fans’ Final Four predictions.
UE Red Warriors: Colby Vazquez
Since losing to the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP Season 72 Finals back in 2009, the UE Red Warriors have been stuck in a holding pattern and have not made the Final Four at all. (They did drop two playoff-for-fourth matchups in 2014 and 2024.)
With them expected to remain at the bottom of the standings, one-and-done commit Colby Vazquez is out to prove them wrong.
Vazquez, a California-raised guard with four years of US collegiate experience, will be an intriguing commodity to everyone, since he can operate as a one or two guard depending on the situation. Add to the fact that he was one of their key pieces in beating the CSB Blazers in an eight-point tune-up victory, and the Recto-based squad might just have found a spark.
It has been said that the most dangerous team is one that has nothing left to lose. For the Red Warriors, fiery head coach Chris Gavina and Vazquez, they might just mess around and snatch some wins.
