THE University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) kicks off this Saturday its 85th season in what could be described as a closer-to-normal environment with 60 events spread out in six disciplines.
But men’s basketball would still stand out as the league’s centerpiece sport on top of women’s volleyball, cheerdance, chess, beach volleyball and taekwondo’s poomsae in a season UAAP brass and host Adamson University would slowly bring the league back to normality.
“We’re back and full of life,” UAAP Season 85 President Fr. Aldrin Suan, CM, of Adamson University, told Wednesday’s press conference at the Mall of Asia Arena. “For the past two years, it’s not just the UAAP that was affected. The entire world was affected.”
“Emotionally, economically, socially, in one way or another, we were down,” Suan said. “We’re hoping to use the UAAP as one of the platforms in helping bring the new normal to the Filipino people. As we ‘Rise As One,’ we are back to being full of life.”
With the theme “Rise As One,” the season opens immediately with a bang featuring a marquee duel defending champion University of the Philippines (UP) and De La Salle, a 4 p.m. matchup that caps a 2 p.m. virtual opening ceremony prepared by the UAAP’s broadcast partners Cignal TV and Smart and the Adamson University-University of Santo Tomas clash at 2 p.m.
Sunday’s action pits National University (NU) against University of the East (UE) at 2 p.m. and Ateneo against Far Eastern University (FEU) at 4 p.m. in the same venue.
The Fighting Maroons? Coach Goldwin Monteverde sounded modest during the press conference.
“Although we started [training] in August, we made a trip to South Korea just to get the team together and prepare,” Monteverde said. “So far, our preparations are okay.
Ateneo’s Tab Baldwin believes all teams have prepared well this season and is hoping the Blue Eagles’ campaign overseas will bear fruits.
“We were both blessed and not blessed in our preparation. Obviously, the opportunity to travel overseas to Japan and Israel was really good,” Baldwin said. “I’m sure everybody is in a fighting spirit, ready to go.”
De La Salle’s Derrick Pumaren said the team had an ideal pre-season buildup in an effort to ruse from last season’s Final Four disappointment.
“We took advantage of the short break and I think we’re more prepared this time,” Pumaren said. “Hopefully we’ll be a better team when we show up on Saturday.”
Olsen Racela and the Tamaraws also sharpened their hooves although they did it in clandestine—no pre-season tournaments or foreign training.
Also present in the press conference were UAAP executive director Atty. Rene “Rebo” Saguisag Jr., Cignal TV and TV5 President and CEO Robert Galang and SVP and Head of Consumer Business Group-Individual at Smart Francis Flores.
Image credits: Roy Domingo