NO, they didn’t win the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) championship. They didn’t make it to the Final Four either.
But the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons were Cinderella in more ways than one. First, no one expected them to stay long enough in the fight and be part of the ball. Second, they shed their rags and put on something that captured noteworthy attention. Third, they got a present in the end that they didn’t expect at all.
Blown out of the court on their very first game of the season against Adamson University, the Maroons succumbed one game after another to successive opponents—De La Salle, University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University (FEU), Ateneo de Manila University and National University. UP won only one game in the first round against the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors.
That didn’t cause much surprise. These were the Maroons. They were used to losing. They were long suffering, fatalistic, seemingly content to just win a game or two every season.
Everybody, in fact, had written off the Fighting Maroons as the usual cellar dwellers in Season 79, depending on how the Red Warriors, a confrere in the netherworld would also fare. In the first round, UE was the only team that bowed to UP.
But when the second round rolled along, most everyone was curiously surprised at how the Maroons had quickly shed their also-ran reputation. Right at the tip-off, the Maroons surprised then third placer Ateneo with lockdown defense, accurate shooting and a relentless effort to dominate.
With 16.4 seconds to go, Gelo Vito elevated himself to hero status by draining a well-timed triple. Jett Manuel scored 15 points and converted free throws with soignee. The Maroons kept their poise and prevailed in the end. But was that a fluke or what?
When the Maroons faced then second placer Adamson University the following game day, they served notice to one and all that they were dead serious about winning. So unlike the first round Maroons who conceded 100 points to the come-out-of-nowhere Falcons, these second round Maroons shocked the Falcons with ruthless shooting, tireless defense and a clear purpose to win. It was their turn to come out of nowhere.
And so for the first time in years, the Fighting Maroons had a back-to-back.
The next games against La Salle and FEU were the stuff of expected dominance. But the Green Archers sweated for every point and did not have their usual smooth control. King Archer Ben Mbala scored just four points in the first half and 17 in the final count, but the big man had five turnovers, a real rarity. It was La Salle’s poorest performance thus far against any team, according to statistics—just 36 percent shooting percentage. The Blue Eagles would later punish their archrivals in harsher terms.
After the back-to-back losses, UP scored another pair of back-to-back wins. Their conquest of National University on October 26 totally opened the eyes of fans, media and rival schools to the new Fighting Maroons. Their dominance over the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers made them true crowd darlings. This was a different UP now. The Fighting Maroons had learned to win.
But as biitersweet as storybook plots go, the Fighting Maroons did not win their last game against current cellar dweller UE. They lost, shot dismally, allowed the Warriors to lead by as much as 25 points.
But lo and behold, even the UP crowd had turned over a new leaf. They came in droves. Filled the stands in a clear lunette formation : almost three-fourths of the Araneta Coliseum occupied by fans dressed in maroon. They cheered, they were lusty, they showed their love for this erstwhile seemingly unloved team to the max.
Graduating seniors Jett Manuel, Dave Moralde and Henry Asilum felt salty tears running down their cheeks. They couldn’t believe what they saw, what they were hearing. The entire Araneta Coliseum, it seems, were shouting UP’s yells and chanting UP’s cheers. Even if they had lost to the UE Warriors, they were being hailed like champions. Finally, the UP crowd showed love, support and faith in their Fighting Maroons.
Post-game, the three seniors were requested by media to grace a special presscon. All three were incredulous about the turnout and how the Fighting Maroons were being regarded by everyone.
It was now a different team, said Captain Jett Manuel. They were not just teammates. They were family. It was no longer just a team that knew how to fight and accept the outcome, usually bad. They now knew how to win and craved more victories, not just this season, but also in the next.
Clearly, Season 79 had become a turning point for the UP Fighting Maroons. Like caterpillars who shed their cocoons, like Cinderella in rags, they now wore their uniforms proudly for the first time in years.
For the first time, Fighting Maroons were besieged by fans, alumni, friends and UP students as if they had won the UAAP championship. Every UP sports fan wants this feeling to stay and for the winning culture to find a home in UP.