UAAP preview: Maroons ready to turn critics to believers

Grandslam-seeking Ateneo and perennial powerhouse Far Eastern University are two teams likely installed in the Final Four. But University of the Philippines coach Aboy Castro isn’t bothered by the fact that these squads are the heavy favorites. Perhaps, he will be contented to see his Fighting Maroons as the unlikely dark horse in this year’s Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament. “While Ateneo and FEU are expected to be there on top, I believe it’s going to be a wide-open race for the remaining two slots in the Final Four and we have a good chance to figure in those two," said Castro, one of Chot Reyes' assistant coaches with the Talk N Text Tropang Texters. Castro has his good reasons. His team in the Philippine Basketball League, Pharex, which is beefed up by his UP Maroons’ squad, made it all the way to the finals few months ago. The Maroons also got surprised backing from UP management, a kind of support hardly given to its varsity teams the previous years. This year’s batch of Maroons were given a world-class international exposure in the Abunassar Institute of Basketball, which sharpened up the squad for this season’s cage war. These things, aside from the fact that Castro will be parading a squad that remains intact, keeps the third-year coach upbeat of his team’s chances. The UP quintet will be led by Smart Gilas player Magi Sison, Woody Co and shooter Martin Reyes. Also returning are their senior forwards Miguel Maniego and Dionisio Hipolito and point guard Mark Lopez, who are expected to shore up the lineup even more. “When I got here, I had only one senior. Now I have more seniors. We are an older team," said Castro, who took over the reigns for Joe Lipa. The Fighting Maroons kept themselves busy and had a good pre-season showing in the Filoil Flying V tournament. “Hopefully, the experience and the wars we have been involved in the past will make us better this year," Castro said. Sison is the team captain and Castro said that he has improved by leaps and bounds as a player since becoming a member of the national team. “He has a different mentality now and he’s become our leader on the court," Castro said. Keeping the core of his squad isn’t the only upside for Castro. The team also strengthened its recruitment program, tabbing a quality rookie in Fil-American Mike Silungan. Silungan, a prized-find from Chicago, has shown his potential early. He already completed his two-year residency and is ready to plunge to action in big-time basketball scene. Also included on the squad is former junior standout Joshua Saret, who was best remembered for knocking down 89 points for Jose Rizal University in the NCAA junior’s tournament last year. Castro said that it will be easy to overlook Saret’s ability on the court after scoring that many points. “In that game, he also had 12 assists, 11 rebounds and 13 steals. That’s really a special player in my book," Castro said. “His scoring will always be there, but more importantly, he is a player with a high basketball IQ." Jose Manuel from Xavier, Martin Pascual from Ateneo and Vergel Evangelista from the Philippine College of Criminology (PCCr) will also be playing their first season with the Fighting Maroons. Carlo Gomez, Mark Juruena, Miguel Reyes and Moriah Gingerich are the sophomores in the squad. With the right ingredients on his squad, there’s certainly nowhere to go but up for the Fighting Maroons this year. - RCJ, GMANews.TV