OVER the years, schools have recognized how other UAAP events are as important as basketball in vying for the overall title.
This was how Jasmine Payo, senior sports reporter of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, described how De La Salle University outplayed UST for the general championship in the last two years—via slightly different margins but in the same, slow-but-sure and dominant fashion.
“Most UAAP schools have seen the importance of developing a university sports program,” she said. “Focus has gone beyond basketball, hence, recruitment in other sports has also become competitive.”
In Season 76, La Salle ruled the league with 289 points against UST’s 274. A Season 75 title could have given the Tigers (277 points) their 15th consecutive and 40th overall, but the Green Archers shot them down with 293 points.
The Tiger Cubs were similarly upset as University of the East ended their seven-year streak in Season 76, 139-121. In Season 75, the UST juniors squads barely retained the plum, 132-131.
It’s all too familiar for the España-based contingent. University of the Philippines also once dethroned UST in its 10-year reign in Season 60 (1997-1998).
The difference was that the fallen Tigers of those years immediately exacted revenge the next season and thus began a 14-year legacy (Seasons 61 to 74). The Tigers of today, after two straight defeats, have yet to recover.
The Tigers were also relegated to second place for two straight years in the 1993 to 1994 season when the Final Four format was introduced.
Watching its once most formidable teams, men’s and women’s volleyball, both getting relegated to fifth (Season 75) and sixth place (Season 76) could be the most bitter pill UST had to swallow. La Salle was “three-peat” champion in those years before Ateneo de Manila University took the title last season.
For Payo, it’s not solely UST’s fault but a combination of other factors, primarily the elevating level of competition and volleyball’s growing fan base.
“The field has become more competitive, making it harder for UST to defend its crown or stay in the top three in the different sporting events,” she said. “[W]ith the sport's (volleyball) growing popularity, almost all the schools now are investing on their volleyball teams. So teams like Ateneo and NU, which used to be cellar-dwellers in the sport, are now among the contenders.”
Letdown
Among all UAAP events in Season 76, UST bested other schools only in women’s taekwondo and poomsae, while La Salle racked up five titles (men’s and women’s basketball, table tennis, men’s taekwondo and women’s chess). The Green Archers also boasted of five championships (women’s chess, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, and women’s volleyball) in Season 75 but UST had a more decent finish then with six titles (men’s and women’s judo, women’s beach volleyball, men’s taekwondo, table tennis, and chess).
The Tigers used to start slow but finish strong, banking on second semester sports to catch up on the overall race. This wasn’t the case in the last two seasons.
The Green Archers, who once stared at a 90-point deficit in Season 71, narrowed the gap to 53 in Season 72 via strong finishes in badminton, swimming, tennis and football. They never stopped until they finally overtook UST in Season 75.
Save for a Season 72 hiatus, the junior Warriors improved especially in boys’ volleyball, table tennis and fencing and, with seven titles out of 12 events, took the overall title from the Cubs, who were consistent only in boys’ taekwondo, girls’ volleyball and swimming.
Fr. Ermito de Sagon, O.P., director of the Institute of Physical Education and Athletics, said in a previous interview that the University recognizes the downhill slope the athletes seem to be caught in, but said it “maintains the policy of amateurism.”
De Sagon said UST would shun “buying athletes as long as it works in our favor.”
Former Tiger Spikers standout John Depante, however, thinks otherwise.
“We’re not behind in terms of training program. But I think in order for us to improve, we need to give [players] more reason to stay and play well for our school,” he said. R.J.D.R. Hernandez
