Head coach Manu Iñigo delivers a title to the UST Tiger Cubs, three years after he and his staff painfully exited a San Beda-Taytay program they helped turn into title contenders.
Just five years ago, Manu Iñigo guided the San Beda-Taytay Red Cubs to the NCAA Season 95 Juniors’ Basketball championship, handling a core that included now-collegiate stars such as Yukien Andrada, Justine Sanchez, Winston Ynot, and Nic Cabañero, to name a few.
But amid the Covid-19 pandemic in 2022, Iñigo and his whole coaching staff were suddenly relieved from their posts, forcing the Red Cubs into a rebuild months before their title defense in NCAA Season 98.
The full story of Iñigo and his staff’s sacking may never come into light, but he admitted how the pain of that incident almost led him to quit as a basketball coach.
That was, until a school from España came knocking on his door.
“Sabi ko nga, ‘yung nag-isip ako na magki-quit na ako ng coaching, bigla lang dumating ‘yung UST,” he recalled in a conversation with The GAME. “Tinawagan lang kami na makipag-meeting si Coach Pido [Jarencio] na kung interesado kami tumulong sa kanya, eh humingi lang ako ng sign kay God tas ayun, binigyan ako ng sign. Sabi ko sige, kung ito talaga ‘yung God’s plan for me, kaya tinanggap namin.”
“Medyo matagal ko rin inisip [whether or not he will accept], pero ‘yun nga, nagdasal lang ako nang nagdasal, and nanghingi lang ako ng sign kay Lord na itutuloy ko ba.”
Iñigo was officially named the UST Tiger Cubs’ head coach in March 2023, taking over from Jinino Manansala in a bid to bring a storied UAAP basketball program back to championship contention.
In his transition to life in España, Iñigo would lead the Tiger Cubs to a respectable fourth place finish in UAAP Season 86. But understandably, the pain from his San Beda-Taytay exit still lingered as he established his system for the Black and Gold crew.
“Nung nag-start pa nga kami, medyo alanganin pa ako sa ginagawa ko, kasi medyo nasaktan talaga kami. Pero ‘yun, nung naka-adjust kami sa UST, baka ito talaga ‘yung plan ni God na magtuloy kami ng coaching, pagturo sa mga bata, kaya in-enjoy nalang namin ulit,” Iñigo recalled.
However, it didn’t take long for Iñigo to steer the Tiger Cubs back to the mountaintop. Come Season 87, he and UST finally broke through, outgunning the powerhouse Nazareth School-NU Bullpups in a thrilling finals series to snap a 24-year UAAP Boys’ Basketball title drought.
From a painful exit out of San Beda, Manu Iñigo now joins an exclusive club, becoming the fifth coach to win a title in both the NCAA and UAAP following the legendary Turo Valenzona, Joel Banal, Koy Banal, and Aldin Ayo.
“Ito talaga ‘yung pinaka-special kasi we went in the league ng underdogs,” Iñigo reflected, with Nazareth School-NU looking unstoppable throughout eliminations. “Napa-champion namin ang UST, and hindi madali, sobrang hirap lahat ng games na pinagdaanan namin kaya sobrang thankful ako, God’s plan talaga.”
At the same time, Iñigo used to be in awe of UST’s passionate crowd when he was still reflecting on the school’s offer. Today, it’s that very yellow sea that acted as his team’s seventh man on their way to a historic UAAP boys’ basketball title.
“Nung nanonood ako ng games nila, nag-enjoy ako and ‘yung sigaw nila na ‘Go USTE!’ nakakadala eh! So parang na-excite din ako na magiging part din ako ng ganyang fans, mga ganyang UST community na cheer, and ang saya sa pakiramdam marinig,” he said.
Images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.