UST GROWLING Tigers head coach Pido Jarencio led the 2006 UAAP Press Corps award recipients as he received the Coach of the Year plum last Oct. 16 at the Pantalan Restaurant in Manila.
The debuting Tigers coach was given the award for steering the fabled Tigers to their first UAAP title in a decade despite finishing dead last in the first round.
Jarencio, a former UST Glowing Goldie stalwart, said he credits his first UAAP title to his underestimated yet competent wards, his coaching staff, and his father who was also present during the awarding ceremonies.
“All my success was due to their undying support and for that I am very thankful,” he said.
UST’s core players, on the other hand, bagged four of the seven major awards. Season 69 Finals MVP Jojo Duncil was given the “Mr. Clutch” award for scoring straight crucial baskets in the Tigers’ 76-74 overtime and title-clinching victory over the favored Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles.
Other Tigers feted were Jervy Cruz (Defensive Player of the Year), Dylan Ababou (Sixth Man), and team captain Allan Evangelista (Special Senior Award). The Sixth Man award is given to the most efficient player off the bench, while the Special Senior Award is for athletes who played their five-year UAAP eligibility in flying colors.
Presidential adviser for youth sports Ali Atienza praised the Tigers’ mental toughness throughout their UAAP campaign.
“The Tigers’ resistance to pressure during the games that mattered most is really impressive,” Atienza, the first Filipino to win a gold medal in the Asian Taekwondo Championships, told the Varsitarian. “Instead of breaking down, they ignored all the naysayers and focused on their plays.”
UST Institute of Physical Education and Athletics officials Felicitas Francisco, Fr. Ermito de Sagon, O.P., and Michael Silbor also received a Special Recognition for having an excellent sports program, while Growling Tigers managers Clarence Aytona, Rudy Yu, and Timmy Chong bagged the Managers of the Year award.
Growling Tiger John Lee Apil’s heroics were acknowledged as well with a posthumous award. Prior to the 2006 UAAP Season, Apil died of electrocution after saving his girlfriend’s two nieces from drowning last April 22. The girls went on to live, but Apil was proclaimed dead on arrival. UST ace forward and Apil’s good friend Evangelista accepted the award on his friend’s behalf. Llanesca T. Panti
