IT’S BEEN a busy week for UST’s men’s basketball program.
The UST Growling Tigers secured the commitments of five key players, looking to rebuild a once-promising team later depleted following last year’s Sorsogon “bubble” fiasco.
After the departure of CJ Cansino, Mark Nonoy, Renzo Subido, Brent Paraiso, and Rhenz Abando, the Tigers has recruited Jordi Gomez de Liaño, who will add height and shooting to UST’s wing rotation.
Gomez de Liaño averaged 13 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 30 percent from deep for the University of the Philippines (UP) Integrated School in UAAP Season 82.
LA Casinillo, who was recruited into UST by former coach Aldin Ayo in 2020, has also committed to the Tigers.
The six-foot-two guard is currently in the UK, where he trains with his father, Leo, a member of the UST Tiger Cubs coaching staff.
Casinillo is a former Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) juniors MVP.
Former De La Salle Santiago Zobel School (DLSZ) standout Kean Baclaan has also committed to join the Tigers, but will have to wait one more year before suiting up for the Tigers in UAAP Season 85.
At five foot eight, Baclaan, an incoming Grade 12 student, averaged 16.38 points, eight rebounds and 3.69 assists for DLSZ in Season 82.
The Tigers also added six-foot-four Fil-Australian Royce Mantua, who currently plays overseas for the City of Blacktown Storms Youth in the New South Wales Waratah league, where he is averaging 10.2 points per game (ppg).
Mantua played nine games for the Far Eastern University Baby Tamaraws in Season 82 and averaged almost 3 ppg.
UST also got its top pickup in Nicael Cabañero, a bulky point guard touted by recruiters as a “complete package.”
Cabañero was part of the pool of players for the Batang Gilas under-17 basketball team. He was also the MVP of the Milcu Got Skills under-15 tournament in 2018.
The new recruits will join incumbent Tigers Soulemane Chabi-Yo, Dave Ando and Sherwin Concepcion and earlier recruits Paul Manalang and Joshua Fontanilla. Rommel Bong R. Fuertes Jr.
