Pido Jarencio embraces the underdog label when it comes to his teams. With the UST Growling Tigers poised to enter UAAP Season 86 with a fresh identity, Jarencio has a clear objective: surprise the league, just like in 2006.
The 2006 team stands as the most recent UST squad to secure the men’s basketball title, and the Tigers have been chasing UAAP gold for 17 years without success.
“That 2006 team, that was a Cinderella team,” Jarencio told the Varsitarian in Filipino. “UST wasn’t on anyone’s radar at the time. And that’s still how we are being perceived today.”
No one expected the third-seeded Tigers to reach the finals that season. They had a 6-6 record in the elimination round and had to face the host team, the UE Red Warriors, who held a twice-to-beat advantage in the semifinals.
The Tigers narrowly defeated the Red Warriors in two closely contested games, winning the first game, 79-75, and the second game, 82-81.
Despite their upset victory, the road ahead remained challenging. The Tigers were slated to face the top-seeded Ateneo Blue Eagles, who had an impressive 10-2 record in the elimination round.
Although UST’s chances appeared slim, they did have a glimmer of hope, as they had split the elimination-round series with Ateneo. The Tigers suffered a defeat in their first-round encounter, losing 114-78, but they exacted revenge in the second round, securing an 88-80 overtime win.
In Game 1, it all came down to the final two possessions. Following a ball deflection that reset the play, Growling Tiger Allan Evangelista executed a fadeaway jumper over Blue Eagle Doug Kramer, putting UST ahead at 72-71 with just one second remaining.
However, Evangelista’s supposed-to-be game-winner shot was thwarted by a last-second catch-and-shoot play from the Eagles’ Doug Kramer, resulting in a heartbreaking 73-72 Game 1 defeat for UST.
UST would go on to dominate Ateneo in Game 2, 87-71.
The do-or-die Game 3 was neck-and-neck. The Tigers displayed remarkable poise and determination down the stretch when they trailed by as much as five points, with the score at 59-64 and just 1 minute and 17 seconds left in the game.
Tiger forward Anthony Espiritu scored a crucial three-pointer, and sophomore Mark Canlas followed with an offensive putback, tying the game with 37 seconds remaining.
The Eagles had an opportunity to secure the victory in the next possession, but star forward JC Intal missed a runner against the tenacious defense of Dylan Ababou. Tiger court-general Japs Cuan secured the rebound and dribbled the ball to center court, forcing the game into overtime.
In overtime, Jojo Duncil’s pump-fake jumper over Chris Tiu and Intal’s driving lay-up on the other end leveled the score at 74. However, Ababou made one of two free throws after drawing a foul from Zion Laterre in the next play, putting the Tigers ahead 75-74.
Intal then missed another runner as Jun Cortez sealed the win with another free throw, giving UST a 76-74 lead with 3.7 seconds left. Ateneo’s Jai Reyes attempted a desperate mid-court shot against two Tiger defenders but to no avail. The buzzer finally sounded, and UST ended its 10-year title drought.
But then again, that was almost two decades ago. UST’s Cinderella story has reached its fairy-tale ending, and every happy ending has the day after the happy ending. Since that historic moment for UST, the team is now on a 17-year title drought.
Pido-over
On the day of his official appointment as UST’s head coach, Jarencio paid a visit to the Tigers and promptly advised them to put the past behind them and dedicate themselves to shaping a glorious future.
“We have many things to talk about,” Jarencio said as his first words to the team. “First, I don’t want to hear you saying negative things about your previous coaches. Past is past. Let’s give them respect.”
Jarencio replaced fellow UST legend Bal David, who resigned after the team’s 1-13 win-loss record in Season 85.
Two months after Jarencio’s appointment, the Tigers adopted a look reminiscent of the UST’s 2006 all-bald team by sporting bald hairstyles. The team, as some fans humorously noted, made a transition from “Bal” to “bald.”
“Actually, in 2006, my players told me they wanted to shave their heads so we could be a unified team,” Jarencio told the Varsitarian. “Maybe, the current team wants to exemplify this unity by shaving their heads as well. They also want to show unity, that we are one unit. There are no bad vibes, only good vibes.”
It wasn’t just the Tigers who experienced a transformation. Jarencio himself had recently completed a five-year coaching stint in the PBA.
“From my last UST coaching stint to today, I learned many things,” he said. “I’ve acquired new knowledge on how to work with players and systems. I’ve learned numerous lessons from various battles and interactions with fellow coaches.”
With added experience under his belt, Jarencio expressed that his ultimate goal for the team is nothing short of winning the gold.
“Of course, the goal of the team is to reach the finals and win the championship,” he said. “But we’ll just do it one game at a time. We still have to see; I don’t make promises. But we will work hard every game.”
Jarencio mentioned that he has already observed improvement in key players Nic Cabañero, Adama Faye and Miguel Pangilinan. Additionally, he was impressed by the performance of young talents such as Kenji Duremdes, Gelo Crisostomo, and Echo Laure.
“In terms of preparation, the team is ready,” he said. “But of course, we are still instilling a new culture; we want them to have a winning attitude because the team’s winning identity was lost for a long time. We have to bring that back.”
Jarencio brought Jarencio has enlisted new and familiar faces to help him revive this winning culture.
Joining Jarencio’s all-Thomasian coaching staff as assistants are Cuan, a point guard for the 2006 championship team, Jeric Fortuna, a former UST team captain, Juven Ledesma, and his son, Jaren.
Also new additions to the Tigers’ management are Waiyip Chong and Eric Ang as team managers and Northport Batang Pier head coach Bonnie Tan, who coached the Letran Knights to a three-peat in the NCAA, as team consultant.
San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has also agreed to boost UST’s basketball program in a move expected to improve the Growling Tigers’ chances of regaining UAAP supremacy. With SMC as a backer, UST will enjoy stronger financial support to reinforce and make competitive its player recruitment and development efforts.
The University named SMC sports director Alfrancis Chua, a former Glowing Goldie, “special assistant to the Rector for basketball” in what IPEA Director Fr. Rodel Cansancio, O.P. dubbed as the Tigers’ biggest acquisition in the offseason.
Beyond the new recruits, Jarencio’s primary desire is for the UST community to provide unwavering support for the team.
“UST teams become something different when it’s time for the UAAP season, he said. “We need our sixth man, the UST community because whenever they’re showing their full support, we become formidable.”
The competition in the UAAP remains formidable, with teams like the UP Fighting Maroons and the Ateneo Blue Eagles continuing to fortify their rosters.
Can Jarencio orchestrate another Cinderella story? He has three years to make it happen before the clock runs out.
