Two bright spots from UST’s dark days find themselves on a promising Growling Tigers program late into their UAAP careers.
Christian Manaytay and Nic Cabañero have been through it all with the UST Growling Tigers, from Jinino Manansala to Bal David, and now Pido Jarencio.
It could have been easy for the pair to leave España amid the string of losing seasons. Yet, they stayed in the Tigers’ den, willingly soldiering through the darkest days.
Today, it seems like their loyalty is finally bearing fruit. Early into Season 87, the Tigers have shown promise thanks to key additions in both the roster and coaching staff. Holdovers led by Cabañero and Manaytay are also one season wiser this time around.
The Tigers are also supported by San Miguel Corporation which finally gives them the resources to keep up with programs such as Ateneo, La Salle, UP, and NU.
“It’s really overwhelming, parang masaya lang kasi coming from previous year, puro kami talo and parang nawawala ‘yung winning culture namin. Thank God pumunta dito sila Coach Pido [Jarencio], and dagdag pa niya mga new recruits namin like Forthsky [Padrigao], sila Kyle Paranada,” Manaytay told reporters following UST’s win over NU over the weekend.
“Malaking boost ‘yun sa team namin. Dun pa lang alam ko na we’re gonna go somewhere this season.”
‘Breath of fresh air‘
Manaytay was the first to admit that those losing seasons took a toll on him. After all, he and Cabañero were supposed to be part of Aldin Ayo’s grand plan for the Tigers only for Covid and the Sorsogon bubble to foil that bright future.
“‘Yung nararamdaman ko dati, siguro parang nawawalan na akong gana maglaro noon kasi we’re always losing,” admits Manaytay, who is on his final UAAP year.
But now, he’s gotten a breath of fresh air with the retooled Tigers. Early on, Manaytay knows they’ll do just fine against the UAAP’s top dogs.
“Parang breath of fresh air na, you know, we’re here. We’re competing against these strong teams, you know. Nan diyan lang kami, but we’re gonna put pressure on them. They’re gonna put pressure on us, but we’re not gonna collapse…mga ganung bagay na na-learn na namin,” Manaytay said.
Against NU, the Tigers needed to overcome a feisty all-Filipino team led by Steve Nash Enriquez up until the final buzzer.
“You know, kagaya nga ng [NU] game. They were putting pressure on us, pero ‘di kami nag-collapse. So, we bond together as a team. We stick to our program, we stick to our system, and trust one another,” said the 24-year-old big man.
Likewise, it’s been a long-awaited dream for Cabañero, the Tigers’ top scorer since debuting in Season 84. Now a veteran, he had a simple reason for staying: “No explanation, only one word: Patience lang talaga. I think the right time will come.”
Cabañero now shares the offensive load with foreign student-athlete Mo Tounkara, which has been crucial in UST’s 3-1 start. Against NU, Manaytay joined them with 14 points and six rebounds in 25 minutes of play.
Sophomore Gelo Crisostomo has also shown flashes of improvement, alongside Mark Llemit. Forth Padrigao may get a bucket or two to accompany his playmaking from time to time.
“Sobrang natutuwa ako kasi ang tagal tagal ko nang inaantay ‘to. It’s been three years na. This is my fourth year na eh. Thankful din ako sa mga teammates ko, sa mga coaches ko, sa tiwala na binigay sa’kin…we’re just going to play on the system that we have, and we’re just going to give our best sa UST community,” the fourth-year guard told The GAME in a separate follow-up.
At the same time, a winning culture has been a missing piece in Cabañero’s development within the collegiate ranks.
“Parang habang tumatagal kasi ako sa UAAP, the game slows down eh. So parang yun nga, every time na there’s a moment na, this kind of opportunity, I’ll grab that. And of course, nagtitiwala lang ako sa teammates ko kasi hindi naman nila ako pinapabayaan…Sa mga coaches ko na alam na alam nila kung paano i-maximize strengths ko,” he explained.
‘We’re getting there’
While happy, both vets are keeping themselves level-headed. It’s a winning start, but their chances at a Final Four berth remain far from guaranteed with 10 games left in eliminations.
The Tigers are yet to face championship contenders UP and La Salle, while teams such as NU, Ateneo, and Adamson might take it up a notch in the next round.
“‘Yun nga, nagsimula kami sa baba eh. Di ko naman sinasabi na nasa taas kami, but we’re getting there. Parang ‘yun ‘yung goal namin this season and I hope na sa following games namin, we continue to strive hard, work hard and we’ll get the ‘W’,” said Cabañero.
“Mataas yung morale namin for sure na this season. Pero we’re not gonna settle on this win because we have a goal nga eh. So, our goal is to go to the Final Four. So, yung morale okay naman pero ‘di namin pinapasok sa utak namin yan. It’s gonna boost our egos but our egos are not gonna get big,” adds Manaytay.
With renewed confidence, Nic Cabañero and Christian Manaytay will continue to lead UST’s resurgence along with their new brothers. At the same time, they have reawakened España’s iconic Sea of Yellow in having a winning start.
“Iba talaga ngayon eh. Todo suporta…alam ko yung UST community, malalayo ‘yung bahay nila ‘tas pumunta pa dito sila ng Saturday [in Araneta for the NU game] and I know na rest day nila. Thank you for supporting and showing your love for us. We’ll do great,” said Cabañero.
Banner images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.