“‘Iyong patay, binuhay namin. Hindi ba?”
Even after back-to-back exits in the Final Four, Pido Jarencio was justified in saying he revived the UST Growling Tigers program from the grave.
His best opportunity to win a championship in the three years of his now-expiring contract, since coming back to guide the team he led to the 2006 title that still stands as UST’s last, ended with the Growling Tigers’ 82-81 loss to the UP Fighting Maroons on Wednesday.
It was a gritty finish with senior players from both sides trading heavy shots and UST coming up short, but Pido never sat still for a second. He reacted to every crucial sequence against UP, jumping, shouting, and pacing the sideline like each possession hit him in the chest. He was fired up. He was tense. And he showed every bit of it openly.
Coinciding with the close of Season 88 and the looming end of Pido Jarencio’s tenure is another unanswered question hanging over España. San Miguel Corporation’s three-year partnership with UST has quietly run its course, with no extension announced as of this writing.
Through sports director and former UST standout Alfrancis Chua, San Miguel has been nothing but generous, pouring resources into a program that needed saving when it arrived. The Tigers rose, stabilized, and competed again under that backing.
Criticism of Pido’s coaching has long been loud, with claims that he is “too old school,” often from people who cannot even explain what old-school basketball is, along with takes that his in-game choices have cost UST wins, including the toughest losses.
Few bother to recognize how he and his staff — under the San Miguel Corp. management — breathed life into what had become a stagnant UST basketball program. Or how, in only one rebuilding season, he turned a bottom-tier team into a genuine Final Four threat.
Before Pido’s return, UST managed only four wins in Seasons 84 and 85. Outside their two-win stumble in Season 86, the Tigers produced 15 victories in Seasons 87 and 88, which propelled them to back-to-back Final Four appearances.
Without Pido leading UST, recruits such as Forthsky Padrigao, Kyle Paranada, Amiel Acido, Leland Estacio, and Season 88 Rookie of the Year Collins Akowe would not have been as confident committing to España. Many also forget that Pido’s reassurance kept Cabañero from transferring when he had every reason to leave.
Pido did more than build a lineup. He raised the level of players such as Gelo Crisostomo and Mark Llemit and kept premier prospects such as Koji Buenaflor, Charles Bucsit, and Carl Manding loyal to UST. Manding even returned from Ateneo after deciding his growth belonged under Pido’s mentorship.
Pido also rebuilt UST’s recruitment pipeline with purpose. He brought in Kris Porter after a strong rookie season at Ateneo, secured Michael Mara, Kurt Laput, and James Jumao-as, and landed former Gilas Pilipinas Youth standout Mur Alao, who credited Pido’s family ties as his reason for choosing UST.
No coach matches Pido’s devotion to UST, and that may be the most overlooked fact. A story recently surfaced on Facebook from Nowhere To Go But UP Foundation founder Renan B. Dalisay about Pido turning down the UP head coaching job in 2015 out of loyalty to UST.
When Dalisay discussed the opening with him, saying he was being considered, Pido “simply smiled” and said, “‘Wag na ako. Magagalit ang UST community. Tulong na lang ako makahanap kayo ng coach (Count me out. The UST community will get angry. I’ll just help you find a coach instead).”
For those who have known Pido since his first stint as UST head coach, he has always carried black, gold, and white pride, even during the years he worked in the PBA.
Releasing Pido would not only end a chapter. It would dismantle the recruiting system he built, the collaborative coaching culture he established, and the fierce school spirit he embedded in every Tiger who played for him.
At a time when loyalty is disappearing across the UAAP, UST has a coach whose heart has stayed with the University. A coach who stuck through turmoil, revived the school’s heartbeat, and pulled the Tigers back into relevance. His mantra, “Puso, pride, palaban,” has become a mindset for every player. If that is not worth keeping, what is?
Additionally, there has been no clear signal that San Miguel will stay, even as Season 88 ends and Jarencio’s contract expires. Its three-year backing, instrumental in UST’s revival, has quietly lapsed. Other potential backers are already hovering, including Strong Group Athletics, which now supports UST’s women’s and juniors basketball teams and its volleyball programs. If change is coming, it may already be waiting in the wings.
Could Pido have performed better? Absolutely. But the program is breathing again because of him and the San Miguel group. Pido does not just deserve his flowers. He deserves another chance. He deserves the opportunity to build the next version of the Tigers.
