In 2025, longtime Ateneo Blue Eagle Kris Porter left Katipunan for España, departing the school that had been his home since his elementary years to join a UST program about to enter a transition period following the departures of Nic Cabañero and Forthsky Padrigao.
Porter arrived as a headline pickup by head coach Pido Jarencio ahead of Cabañero and Padrigao’s exit. He adds size and pedigree to a frontcourt featuring Season 88 Rookie of the Year Collins Akowe and the surging Gelo Crisostomo.
For Porter, the move marked the start of his redemption in the UAAP.
“I’d like to say that there’s a sense of redemption because it’s a new year, it’s a new team, and a new me,” he told the Varsitarian during the 2026 Pinoyliga Invitational Cup, where UST finished with the silver medal after bowing to Japan’s Tokai University.
“Gusto ko ipakita na I’m not the same person I was before in a good way,” he added.
The 6-foot-6 power forward left Ateneo following UAAP Season 87 after off-court issues, including academics. Porter had been with the Ateneo system since his developmental years, having played for Sacred Heart-Ateneo de Cebu and Ateneo de Manila from high school through his freshman year in college.
In his lone collegiate season with the Blue Eagles, he averaged 6.57 points and 6.86 rebounds per game, though the team finished Season 87 with just four wins.
Paired with highly regarded point guard Jared Bahay, Porter was among the contenders for Rookie of the Year but was ultimately edged out by FEU’s Veejay Pre, who is set to debut with the UP Fighting Maroons in Season 89.
With UST, Porter added strength during his time away from the UAAP spotlight, focusing on building from his promising rookie season.
“I want to show the world what I got,” Porter said. “I want to show the Philippines and show the UAAP that there’s going to be a better Kris Porter coming into the next season.”
Porter followed the same path as Padrigao, whose own off-court issues also led him to leave Ateneo for UST.
In late 2025, Porter played with the reserves team in various commercial tournaments while the Tigers finished fourth in Season 88.
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Porter then debuted with the main squad in Pinoyliga, where he saw limited minutes.
He joins a new batch of Tigers eligible for Season 89, including Kurt Laput, a dynamic point guard from Lyceum of the Philippines-Batangas, and James Jumao-as, a former UST Tiger Cub who had transferred from Letran.
“Kurt and James are good guys. They are skilled. Over the past year, we’ve built a connection, especially me and Kurt, since naglaro kami sa Cebu dati,” Porter said.
“And, I feel that the energy James brings, the court vision Kurt brings, and overall, makatutulong kami sa team kahit papano. Whatever the coaches ask of us, makatutulong kami.”
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Porter said pressure came with the territory, but his mindset at UST remained team-first.
“Personally, I have the mindset to just do what’s asked of me—that’s my job,” he said. “And in any way possible, if makatutulong sa team, masaya na ako.”
At UST, he also plays with familiar former foes from high school, such as Tiger Cubs alumni Koji Buenaflor, Carl Manding and Charles Buscit, and former UAAP boys’ basketball MVP Akowe.
Porter is particularly eager to team up with Akowe in the UAAP, confident their games complement each other.
“We know how we play with one another. We know our strengths, our weaknesses, and because we know those things, we know how to help each other,” he said of his partnership with Akowe.
“He’s a smart guy. He’s really easy to play with. He makes playing basketball so much easier. And because of that, we just have a good bond and chemistry; and, we just build on that bit by bit.”
Beyond basketball, Porter’s months-long stay at UST has offered not just a new setting but the growth he needed to elevate his game.
“My development with UST wasn’t just on the court; it was also off the court,” he said. “It teaches me new things; things I never knew, like composure. And, it built me to be a better person than who I was before.”
“Overall, leading me to help the team in any way possible.”
Porter will play two seasons for UST after losing two years of eligibility due to UAAP’s new rules on player transfers.
His time at UST may be shorter than at the Ateneo, but for Porter, it is where he reshapes himself and fights for the team that chose him after he walked away from his longtime home.
“I want to be happy and to enjoy the journey here. In the games, I want to win, enjoy the process, and to learn. And overall, just have a good time with the team.” with reports from Rich Harry A. Marbella
