From casual gamer to student athlete, Paolo has had quite the journey to being crowned the UAAP’s first esports champion.
On August 15, 2024, Paolo Medina from the Ateneo de Manila University made history by becoming the UAAP’s first esports champion for NBA 2K. The fourth year BS Information Technology Entrepreneurship student clinched the championship 2-1 against Keegan Yap from long-time rivals De La Salle University, making it a picture-perfect ending to a historic event.
“When it happened it didn’t really sink in yet,” said Paolo. “It didn’t feel real. Then I looked at the crowd and I couldn’t believe all these people were here watching us play 2K.”
Paolo’s shock is completely understandable as not even a year ago he was just another student, casually playing NBA 2K. “This was my first ever competitive tournament in any video game ever. Growing up, me and my brother would just play and he’s pretty good and he’d always beat me. So I guess that’s how I started being competitive. I just wanted to beat him,” said Paolo with a smile. “But then the UAAP came and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I’m a really, really big gamer and I knew that I wanted to dip my foot in the competitive scene, especially in NBA 2K.”
Tryouts for the Ateneo NBA 2K team started around February and it was there that Paolo took his literal first steps to becoming a UAAP champion. “About 15 or 20 students tried out and we had this three-day trial where it was a tournament bracket. The coach was there and yeah, I played all the games and I didn’t lose a single one,” said Paolo as casually as making a free throw. “And that’s how they picked me for the team.”
The Reality of Being a Student Athlete
While many see the title of ‘student athlete’ as something prestigious it also brings with it expectations, especially for Ateneans. “I think with us being Ateneo athletes, it was very clear that we had to prioritize our academics while still practicing for the tournament.” Before they could get by with online practice but soon they realized that they needed to commit more time if they wanted to succeed.
“We had online training three times a week and then this slowly became one-on-one online training. But then it was clear to us that practicing at home online really wasn’t the way to go. The tournament was going to be held in a live setting so we slowly transitioned to having once a week on-site practice. I would go to school even if I didn’t have classes just to be with my coach and my teammates so that we could get important minutes of practice.”
Dedication and sacrifice is the life of a student athlete but luckily for Paolo, he had strong support behind him. “My family was very supportive. So that was a big factor for me seriously pursuing gaming as a sport within my college life.”
Hope for the Future of UAAP Esports
Now that the dust has settled, Paolo can look at all the effort he and his teammates made to become UAAP esports NBA 2K champions and can say that this is something that’s worth pursuing.
“I 100% think that this is something the UAAP should commit to,” said Paolo. “And not just that, I think that this is something schools should start taking more seriously as well. We’ve been saying that esports would be the perfect UAAP sport… This is a good first step for the Philippine sports world to really accepting esports as a collegiate sport and can help our national team programs as well.”
He mentions the national NBA 2K and eFIBA teams and how they can acquire new talent through the UAAP. He also wishes that the UAAP will implement a full five-man team for 2K as that is the competitive standard.
All in all, Paolo is happy he was able to play for his school in a game that he loves. “You couldn’t have scripted it any better,” said Paolo upon reflecting that it was an Ateneo vs La Salle finals. “I’m very grateful for the opportunity to represent Ateneo, I’m very grateful for the opportunity to share the stage with Keegan. I’m very pleased with how the whole tournament came out and happy that the UAAP finally has esports.”
Banner photo from UAAP season 87 media team.