UST force to reckon with despite loss of top cagers

Most, if not all, of the other UAAP varsity coaches consider University of Santo Tomas as one of the favorites in the coming 64th season of the UAAP seniors basketball tournament which opens this July 14 at the Araneta Coliseum.

And why not? The Growling Tigers won four straight championships from the 1993 to 1996, inclusive of a 14-game title sweep back in ’93. They were runners-up in ’99 and they have always entered the Final Four since this format was introduced in 1994.

Ask anyone who knows his UAAP basketball which four teams are his picks to make it to the Final Four this year and chances are UST will be among them.

Ask UST coach Aric del Rosario, however, and he’ll say otherwise. Not that he doesn’t expect his team to do well this season or contend for a Final Four seat or the championship. It’s only because the Tigers this year will be without the high-flying Cyrus Baguio and four of their key big men in Marvin Ortiguerra, Melchor Latoreno, Gilbert Lao and Kenneth Co.

Actually, UST will have as many as eight new players on its roster by the time they start the season against powerhouse FEU Saturday.

"Maraming nawala sa team namin lalo na mga big man ko. Kaya nga medyo nagre-rebuild ako ng team," said Del Rosario, architect of the Tigers’ awesome four-peat.

Ortiguerra is now with Sta. Lucia in the PBA, Co didn’t make the team because of academic deficiencies while Baguio, Latoreno and Lao were simply dropped from the squad because of their continuous absence from team practices, using their commitments to their commercial teams as their alibis.

"Gusto ko ring maging parang aral sa mga natirang players ko ang ginawa ko. Sabi ko nga, kailangan mamili sila kung gusto nilang mag-aral pa o maglaro na talaga sa ibang liga. Mula kasi nung nangyari ang mga ganyan, maraming players ang hindi nakakatapos ng pag-aaral," rued Del Rosario.

The UST coach made special mention of Arnulfo Tuadles, Jr. who stopped reporting for practices for unknown reasons. "Bigla na lang nawala. Ewan ko kung ano nangyari. Sayang, may potential pa naman ang bata dahil 6-1 na point guard at magaling," he said.

Del Rosario is hoping the losses of several of his key players from last year’s squad will be a blessing in disguise.

"Last year, kumpleto kami kaya contender daw kami. Pero masama ang nilaro namin. Kaya mabuti na rin siguro ang ganito. Walang pressure," he said.

And Del Rosario revealed that he likes what he sees in his current team based on how they fared in the preseason tournaments. UST made it to the finals in the MICABA – losing to FEU – and narrowly missed the semifinals in both the Fr. Martin and Ambrosio Padilla Cups because of lower quotients.

"Satisfied naman ako sa nakikita ko sa mga players ko. Pati sa mga tune-up games namin, nananalo naman kami at kitang-kita ko ang mga determinasyon at hirap ng mga bata," said Del Rosario.

The Tigers, who were eliminated by La Salle, 65-62, in last year’s Final Four, will be bannered this year by the sweet-shooting Derick Hubalde, Nino Gelig, Alwin Espiritu, Warren de Guzman and Dondon Villamin.