UAAP doesn’t last forever, and UST’s Kent Pastrana is savoring every moment on the court.
When Kent Pastrana returned to the UAAP after three long years of waiting, she had one goal: to reinstate her name on the list of the country’s best young women’s basketball players.
She had already begun making her case in 2019, her rookie year in the UAAP. Playing for the De La Salle University Lady Archers at the time, she instantly stood out among her peers. Although her team didn’t enter the Final Four, she averaged 16.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2.3 assists per game in Season 82 and was named Rookie of the Year.
After a debut to remember, all signs pointed to the fact that she would come back even better the next season. However, her momentum was put to a crashing halt.
Seasons 83 and 84 of the UAAP were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic; the former was canceled completely and the latter saw a cut-down version of the league that did not include the women’s basketball tournament. The lead-up to Season 85 provided a glimmer of hope for the country’s talented women’s players, as this was when restrictions were beginning to ease and training sessions were slowly coming back.
But unfortunately, Kent once again ran into another roadblock. As she told The GAME, she faced problems as a member of the DLSU women’s basketball team and ultimately made the challenging decision to move. Luckily, she was welcomed with open arms by the University of Santo Tomas Golden Tigresses. However, this meant that Kent would need to spend yet another year without playing time, as she needed to serve her one year of residency.
So, when UAAP Season 86 rolled around, Kent Pastrana was hungrier than ever.
“Sabi ko lang sa sarili ko na gagawin ko pa rin yung best ko na maibalik yung pangalan ko, na kung ano yung pagkakilala nila kay Kent Pastrana,” she recalled.
From green to gold
Kent Pastrana’s move from DLSU to UST came as a surprise. She was already in her third year at La Salle at the time of her departure, so it was bound to be a challenge. But as she looks back on it now, UST’s Head Coach Haydee Ong was a huge factor in making the transition as seamless as possible.
“Hindi niya ako pinabayaan,” Kent said of her coach. “So noong lumipat ako dito [UST], sobrang welcome ako kay Coach, sobrang tanggap na tanggap ng buo-buo, na parang hindi ako galing ako sa ibang team…Parang anak niya [ako], so sobrang thankful ako kay Coach Haydee.”
Of course, the transition meant that Kent would need to be patient. She still needed to serve her mandatory one-year residency period before she could return to the UAAP, but it was a wait she welcomed with an open mind.
Having to sit out of Season 85, she did her best to use the time wisely, watching from the sidelines, and adjusting to the culture of UST basketball. And as she recalled, her teammates helped to make this period of adjustment feel easier, as she instantly felt welcome in their circle. “Ginabayan ako sa mga rules nila dito sa team, and yung mga kailangan kong gawin para sa team [as a] rookie,” she said.
However, despite sitting out of the UAAP in 2022, she was still able to see some early action for UST in that year’s Breakdown Basketball Invitational tournament, where she instantly made an impression in the team’s eliminations round sweep and semifinals berth.
This quickly proved that she was a good fit for the Golden Tigresses and it was a great way for Kent to get the playing time she so deeply craved.
But there is still nothing like the UAAP, and every step during this transition was a step toward getting back to the big stage. As she mentioned, “Noong off-season, sobrang nag-prepare ako sa sarli ko na ‘pag balik ko sa Season 86, kailangan sobrang ready ako, kasi ito yung start ulit ng career ko sa UAAP.”
So when Season 86 finally rolled around, Kent, as expected, felt the excitement — perhaps even a little too much excitement.
Making her comeback
UST opened their UAAP Season 86 campaign with a game against UE. This would mark Kent Pastrana’s comeback to the league three years after her breakout rookie year — but even so, she did not feel the expected combination of nerves and pressure. Instead, she was a combination of energy and excitement.
“Before the game pa lang, excited na ako,” she recalled. “Pero never ko naramdaman na nakabahan before something. So sa sobrang excited ko, parang gigil na gigil na ako maglaro, tapos parang sobrang kalat pa.
“Naalala ko sinabi ni Coach Haydee, ikalma mo muna yung sarili mo. ‘Wag kang gigil na gigil na maglaro.”
Once the rush of excitement finally settled down, Kent was finally able to put her energy to good use. She started to get into her groove and defeat the Lady Warriors to start the season on a high. But more than anything, she was simply happy to be back on the court.
“Ang saya, nakapaglaro na ako, nakikita ko na yung audience na sumusuporta sa amin, and then yung mga friends ko din nanonood. Ang sarap ng feeling na nakabalik ako ulit after how many years na hindi ako nakalaro.“
But this joy also came with a goal. Kent didn’t come back just to play — she came back with a hunger to win. And for her and her teammates, it was all about taking the season one step at a time.
“One game at a time lang kami. Yung mindset namin noon, kailangan lang makapasok sa finals. Kapag nakapasok na kami sa finals, tsaka na namin iisipin yung championship. So ginawa lang namin yung todo todo, lahat ng effort namin para makakuha ng championship,” she said.
On a more personal note, Kent’s main objective was simple enough: play her best in every game. And it didn’t take much to see that she gave her all every time she was on the court. In Season 86, she averaged 17.64 points, 5.64 rebounds, 2.29 assists, and three steals per game.
She was consistently coming up big for her team. With Kent at the wheel, the UST Golden Tigresses went on to finish second after the eliminations, secure a Final Fourth berth, and continue riding their momentum all the way to the finals — where they would face the dominant seven-time champions, NU, in a thrilling three-game series.
Even then, Kent did not falter under pressure.
“Yung natutunan ko last season, kailangan mong ‘pag katiwalaan mo yung sarili mo, ‘pag katiwalaan mo yung kasama mo, yung coaches mo, lalo na yung game plan,” she said, reflecting on how she helped drive her team to the finals.
It was not a perfect run for UST, however. They won the first game of the finals but came up just two points short of sealing the title in Game 2, which brought the series to a nail-biter of a Game 3. Suddenly, it was do-or-die, and Kent felt the call to step up.
“As a leader, kailangan din mag-take charge ka sa loob ng court, lalo na ‘pag alam mo yung kasama mo ay nada-down na, kailangan mo i-cheer up, i-motivate, kasi yung laban hindi naman natatapos sa isang quarter lang eh. So sabi namin, hindi pa naman tapos yung laban, kaya pa natin ‘to.“
The Tigresses pulled off a huge comeback in Game 3. After entering the final period of the game down 61-47, UST went on a big run to close the gap, and it was Kent Pastrana who sank the tying basket. From there, momentum was on their side.
“Ang inissip namin sa last game, wala na ‘tong next game, wala na tayong iisipin na iba. Pagkatapos, magiging sobrang worth it ito.”
They would go on to win the game, 71-69. This marked UST’s first UAAP women’s basketball championship in 17 years, and they were officially the team that managed to dethrone NU from their seven-year reign.
To make things even sweeter, Kent’s performance earned her a place in the Women’s Mythical Five and at the end of all the tournaments of Season 86, she won the UAAP Player of the Year Award at the closing ceremony. Later on, she also won the inaugural Collegiate Women’s Basketball Player of the Year award from the 2024 Collegiate Press Corps Awards Night.
If Kent Pastrana wanted to re-establish her name in the basketball scene, she did exactly that in a very big way.
Growing with the game
This year, Kent Pastrana has an even bigger weight on her shoulders. As the reigning champions, UST’s biggest goal will be to defend their throne.
So far, they are off to a good start. The Tigresses concluded the first round of eliminations with a 6-1 win-loss record to finish second to the NU Lady Bulldogs, who cleanly swept the first half.
But on Kent’s part, she is doing what we have come to expect from her, delivering with her big numbers and strong on-court presence. In fact, when she sat down to speak with The GAME, she was fresh off a win over UP where she notched 21 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals. And after seven games in Round 1, she averaged 17.2 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.2 steals to earn 84.714 statistical points. This puts her second in the ongoing MVP race, behind Ateneo’s Kacey Dela Rosa.
Head Coach Haydee has commented on Kent’s impressive performances thus far. “Our constant like Kent always performs so we need more players to show up and help Kent for our succeeding games,” she said after their team’s win over FEU, where Kent finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds.
So what is it that makes Kent Pastrana so good?
For one thing, she considers herself a perfectionist, a trait she has developed after embracing her role as a leader on the team. “‘Pag leader ka, kailangan kumpleto ka talaga eh. Hindi pwede na kulang ka dito, ganito lang ang alam mo, so kailangan mong aralan talaga ang lahat para maging, hindi naman perfect na player, pero at least marami kang alam na gagawin kapag ganito ang ginagawa sa’yo, alam mo kung paanong mag-adjust,” she explained.
With this mindset, Kent is always looking for ways to hone her craft. Despite leading her team in stats, she still notes, “Medyo kulang pa yung performance kasi alam ko may ilalabas pa ako sa performance ko.
“Kailangan kong i-work on yung post moves and paano ko siyang gamitin, and mai-balance ko lahat sa loob ng court para maging masmadali din yung trabaho…Kailangan ko talagang aralin ang mga maliliit na bagay para mas mabilis ako maka-score.“
But of all the things that make Kent a truly special basketball player, her biggest X-factor could easily be her confidence in herself.
Even she admits, “Grabe yung tiwala ko sa sarili ko. Kasi kung wala kang tiwala sa sarili mo, hindi mo magagawa yung gusto mo.
“So yung sinasabi akin ni coach palagi na okay lang na magkamali ka, basta makabawi ka and alam mo sa sarili mo na mali yung ginawa mo, dapat bumawi ka sa ibang way. So every time na nagkakamali ako, bumabawi ako sa ibang way…So dapat ‘pag ginagawa mo siya, dapat yung tiwala sa sarili mo, wala ka dapat na doubt na ‘di mo siya kaya, kasi kung may doubt ka sa sarili mo, hindi mo talaga siya gagawin.“
Kent Pastrana truly belongs on the court, and even she knows this. Her ultimate dream is to one day play professionally — but with one more playing year after Season 87, she asserted that for right now, her biggest focus is her UAAP career. After all, she waited a long while to make her return; she will not be putting it to waste.
And this year, it’s all about using her confidence and passion for the game to win UST back-to-back titles.
“Kailangan yung pride mo sa loob ng court, ‘pag pasok pa lang, tatalunin natin ‘to. Kami dapat ang manalo, hindi pwede na ibu-bully niyo kami, na ganyan ganyan lang kami. Dapat as a defending champion, kailangan yung pride mo and puso mo.”
Banner images from UAAP Media Bureau.