Which of the players who have switched school jerseys and are making their debuts in UAAP Season 88 will have the most impact for their new teams?
The UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament is finally upon us. All eight teams have made offseason moves to beef up their rosters, and in some cases, the moves were made last year with inter-school player transfers.
There are dozens of new faces and not-so-new faces debuting for new teams this season, but six of them stand out and could make a difference in their respective teams’ title chances in UAAP Season 88.
Collins Akowe (UST Growling Tigers)
Akowe was a force of nature in the high school division for the NUNS Bullpups, nearly averaging a 20-20 double-double as opposing teams struggled mightily against his imposing six-foot-ten frame. The UAAP high school MVP was earlier ticketed to join NU’s senior ranks, but he announced earlier this year that he was exploring his options.
He’s now going to play for Pido Jarencio and the Growling Tigers, where he’ll be asked to fill the shoes of Mo Tounkara. Now that he’s playing with the big boys, the main question now is whether Akowe will approximate the numbers he put up in high school. He did acquit himself pretty well, though, in the Asiabasket 2025 College Campus Tour, averaging 14.5 points and 15.5 rebounds and winning MVP.
Mason Amos (DLSU Green Archers)
Three Archers have made this list, with Amos perhaps the most controversial among them. Anytime a Blue Eagle leaves the nest for Taft, it’s bound to raise eyebrows. For this reason alone, it’s worth watching how Amos performs this season.
During his sit-out year, he gained valuable experience playing for Tim Cone on Gilas Pilipinas, where he was used primarily as a spot-up shooter off the bench. In fact, he was with Gilas in Latvia in July 2024 for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament when news of his transfer leaked out. October 5 will be a red-letter day for both camps, as Amos will face his former team for the first time.
Kean Baclaan (DLSU Green Archers)
After leading the Bulldogs to a third-place finish in Season 86, Baclaan announced in February 2024 that he was making the leap from Sampaloc to Taft. Baclaan was pretty effective for that Bulldogs team that at one point was 10-2, averaging 10.6 points and 4.7 assists per game.
In his first stint with the Green Archers in the offseason, he gave a glimpse of what to expect in the UAAP by being named to the First Five of the FilOil EcoOil Preseason Tournament, where DLSU made it to the semifinals. He also averaged 14.7 points in the World University Basketball Series in Tokyo, where the Archers finished second.
Jacob Cortez (DLSU Green Archers)
The son of a legendary Green Archer, Cortez was part of the NCAA Season 99 champions San Beda Red Lions team that bagged the school’s 23rd NCAA title. He averaged 15.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.2 steals, and came up big in a must-win Game 2 of the finals against Mapua. But less than a month after winning the NCAA championship, Cortez announced he was headed for his dad Mike’s alma mater to chase a UAAP title. He will team up with Baclaan to form a deadly backcourt combination as they aim to reclaim the crown for DLSU.
Kymani Ladi (Ateneo Blue Eagles)
Ladi is not a local transferee, but we’re including him on this list since, among the one-and-done players this season, he’s the most intriguing. Ladi played for Merritt College in Oakland, where he averaged 14.6 points and 7.7 boards in his final year of playing in the California Community College Athletic Association.
He is either six-seven or six-eight, depending on which news report you believe. In any case, that’s pretty tall for a player who can run the floor well and stroke it from outside. And at 23, he’s already a veteran who can be expected to contribute right away for Tab Baldwin as the Bue Eagles seek to bounce back in UAAP Season 88 after a forgettable Season 87.
Rey Remogat (UP Fighting Maroons)
With local folk hero JD Cagulangan gone, the defending champions Fighting Maroons are hoping that Remogat can fill in as court general and clutch performer. When he was last seen on a UAAP playing court, Remogat was averaging 16.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, and a league-high 7.9 assists for the UE Red Warriors in UAAP Season 86. He held the single-game scoring record for that season, dropping 34 points against FEU, and was tops in free-throw percentage at 88%.
As for the clutch gene, Remogat showed he isn’t afraid of the moment when he buried two cold-blooded triples in the FilOil semifinals against La Salle. In UP, he will be reunited with fellow former Red Warrior Gani Stevens as the Maroons go for a back-to-back.
Banner images from FilOil, Asiabasket, and WUBS.