UP FIGHTING MAROONS : A GREAT END TO SEASON 80 FOR THE MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM

Last November 11 was a great end of the men's basketball team of the UP Fighting Maroons for Season 80.

The first game was a do-or-die game against the NU Bulldogs. The winner of that game will wait for the result of the second game between the FEU Tamaraws and the Adamson Falcons. If Adamson wins, the winner of the first game will force a play off against FEU for the last spot in the Final Four. If FEU wins, they automatically advance to the Final Four.

Before this game, the Maroons were really inconsistent. They won against FEU which boosted their chance to the Final Four but lost to Adamson in their next game by a huge margin. Then they went toe to toe with the then spotless Ateneo which broke our hearts by opening the game wide and eventually winning in the last few minutes of the last quarter, Their played better in that Ateneo game - with better player rotation and 3 point shooting in the 1st half but eventually lost their steam at the end game.

So we really did not know what to expect in this game against NU. We also watched their first round match where they lost by 7 points also just in the last few minutes of the game. We can all argue that it would have been a different story if Jun Manzo was not injured in that game. But it is what it is, The Maroons and the UP community just want to have a great win to end the season just in case it does end that night.

As expected, the UP faithfuls came in droves. Students, alumni and supporters were really there to watch the game and support the guys. It was safe to say that half of the fans in the Big Dome were UP fans. We were seated at the Adamson area and that side was dominated by UP fans as well. It was really a good atmosphere there.

I will not give  lengthy game by game narration of the game but the UP was able to get a statement win - a 106 - 85 win over the Bulldogs, still having a chance at the Final Four that the school last experienced in 1997 - a clear 2 decades ago. But 2 hours after, FEU was able to win over Adamson, sending the Maroons out of contention and just a win away from the semis, finishing 5th at 6wins and 8 losses. This is still a marked improvement from the past season where we finished sixth with a 5 - 9 win loss record.

I have tweeted this in my account but I want to congratulate the team for a good season despite falling short of the goal. Hats off to our four graduating players who played their last game. To Andrew Harris and Paolo Romero who served 7 years for UP and 5 playing years, despite getting limited minutes, you will still be known as the captains of this special group of guys. To Ibrahim Ouattara, one year in the UAAP might be short but your heart and the hardwork you showed is really commendable. To Rob Ricafort, the road to UAAP was never a clear one for you but the fight to #DontRobRob was worth it.

To our King Maroon, Paul Desiderio, we admire your tenacity in the court, always playing more than 30 minutes per game. Thank you for giving us those clutch 3 pointers that we never get tired of watching. Thank you for being our go to guy every time we needed that boost of energy. Thank you for giving us a new unofficial mantra - Atin To Papasok To - that will forever be in our hearts. We just want to say - One More Year King Maroon.

To our super rookies - Juan Gomez de Liano and Jun Manzo who defied all odds and showing us that you need that be afraid even if you are a newbee. For Jun Manzo, thank you for all the amazing spin moves, great floaters and superb playmaking for this season, your connection with Paul Desiderio really made wonders this season. To our Rookie of the Year Juan Gomez de Liano, you sure proved that you are a blue chip rookie - scoring at least 20 points in a couple of games and playing like a veteran in your rookie year make us wonder what you can develop into in the next years after gaining experience this season.

To the best bench in the UAAP, thank you for all the contributions to the team, whether you are starting or not, you are always ready when your name is called. Thank you Javi Gomez de Liano, for the great defense this season and your connection with your younger brother Juan really is exciting to watch, Thank you Jarrel Lim and Kyles Lao for always being there to stabilize the team in times of panic. Thank you Jan Jaboneta for the amazing 3 pointers during the DLSU first round game. Thank you Noah Webb for those chase down blocks but also for the unforgettable reactions you gave us at the sidelines. Thank you Jerson Prado for those hustle rebounds and good defense you played despite having quite a disadvantage at the center position. Thank you Gelo Vito for those crucial shots you gave the team at crunch time. Thank you Diego Dario for being the 3rd guard in the rotation and despite the limited minutes, you still get to deliver especially during the Ateneo second round game. Thank you Enzo Battad that despite having limited minutes, you did well in your rookie year and we know that you have worked hard and deserved that last spot in the roster.

To the coaching staff, Coach Bo, Coach Ricky, Coach Rodney, Coach Poch, Coach Mark, Coach Alex, Coach Joe and the other coaches and staff, this will not be possible if you guys were not there to guide these guys.

To the UP community, the best fans in the UAAP this season. It was an honor to be a part of this community and to cheer with all of you guys whether we are #TeamMOA or #TeamAraneta or #TeamBahay or even #TeamLivestream at the car or at the office. You definitely gave these guys a boost by always believing in the UP Fight spirit.

We all believe that the future is bright next season not just beacuse Bright Akhuetie will be playing for us but because we have proven one thing this season, We might not made it to our goal of entering the final four but what we have proven this season is that we are not the push overs anymore. We are here to compete and we are here to win.

Just like what Jun Manzo posted in Twitter :

Walang imposible sa taong naniniwala 🙏🏻 #UPFIGHT

— Jun Manzo (@JkManzo13) September 23, 2017

Nothing is indeed impossible. From that 0-14 season in Season 76 and that single win in Season 77 that prompted us to have bonfire after ending that long losing streak, we really have come a long way. Thank you for making this happen, for making the UP community believe again.

We can't wait for the next season. Hoping it will be our time - and we believe that our time will come.

UP FIGHTING MAROONS : THE GAME WE ALMOST DIDN'T WATCH

When the UP Fighting Maroons Men's Basketball team lost two Sundays ago, my sister and I had second thoughts about watching the game last Saturday live. We planned to watch it live at the MOA Arena as part of my birthday gift to her since she celebrated her birthday a few weeks back.

The loss was hard. We expected the team to fair well against UE since we beat them easily in the first round. The trend is somewhat happening again, we had a good start and lose steam in the end - just like last year, and just like what happened with the Women's Volleyball Team last season.

We parked the idea of watching the game for a while but I needed to decide before the morning of last Tuesday. My sister needs to file her undertime leave since she has work on Saturdays.

Why am I having second thoughts? I do not want to see the team lose again live. This season, we went to watch live the first round games against UST and DLSU which we both won. The 3rd game we watched was the first round NU game which we lost in the last few seconds. It was heartbreaking. I don't want to experience it again - especially if we will lose by a large margin - which happened in the first round game against FEU.

But we know we need to support the team, after a tough loss against UE, the guys needs as much support from the UP crowd. So we decided to go and watch. It was our first time to buy Patron tickets and we really hoped it will be worth it.

We arrived early and even got those foam thing from Piattos that we really were looking for the previous games. We caught the first game which was really quite predictable with Ateneo getting an easy win over UE. I actually can't remember the details of the game since I was more engrossed in looking at my Twitter feed about an org event I missed to watch the game, reading tweets of support to the UPMBT and getting surprised by the news that Coach Tai is no longer coaching Ateneo.

Then, it's time for UP's game against FEU. The UP crowd was noticeably smaller compared to the previous game that we watched live. But deep in our hearts, these UP loyals will cheer our hearts out. In fact, even with our smaller crowd, we still out numbered the FEU fans. Saying our own prayers just before game time so that divine intervention can happen. The team started quite sluggish with FEU getting a double digit lead midway in the 1st quarter. Good thing we had a small run towards the end, only down by 4 at the end of the first 10 minutes.

The second quarter was a different story. The Fighting Maroons came in aggressive, starting the quarter with a 17 - 0 run spanning from the end of the first quarter up to the start of the second. They outscored FEU, 18 - 7 in this quarter and ended the half up by 7.

The 3rd quarter was the most excruciating quarter I have watched live. It was as if the basket is covered. Almost all the shots are not going in. The team was only able to score 5 points - the least any teams scored in a quarter this season. The quarter ended with the team down by 10.

Early in the fourth quarter, both teams were trading baskets but at some point, FEU was already ahead by 12 points with about 8 minutes left. The time is definitely not our side. Miraculously, our zone defense was working and FEU's basket are not going in and we even forced several turnovers. Thanks to the superb defense of Ibrahim Ouattara and getting shots on the other end, 4 straight points from Juan Gomez de Liano, Gelo Vito's put back from a Desiderio miss and a 3 point shot and Jun Manzo's floater, we had a 13 - 0 run to get the lead, 56 - 53 with less than a minute left.

When Jasper Parker got that 3 point shot to tie the game, we were just hoping for a sure 2 point shot or overtime. This was also the same wish we had when we were down 2 points at the end game of the UP - UST first round game. We know that Paul Desiderio will still be the go to player and we really hope that he still is the clutch that we witnessed in our first game of the season.

When the first play where Manzo missed the shot and the ball was said to be going to FEU, we were praying hard - Lord give us this win. We know that this win can really help our Final Four bid this season. After reviewing the tape, it was decided that UP keeps the possession. Then they fouled on the next play - leaving us 6.2 seconds to get the winning shot.

Lord, give us this one. We need this win.

Juan GDL inbounded the ball to Manzo who immediately passed the ball to Desiderio. With a step back shot, Desiderio released the ball on our vantage point, it seems to be going in. It seemed slow motion - that 2 seconds seems eternity. The shot went in and the UP crowd was ecstatic! With 1.1 clock ticks left, the inbound was stolen by Juan GDL and we get the win!

Yes, we got the win... Yes, we won! Our Final Four Dream is alive!

I was shaking after the game. I was shaking when we sang with pride "UP Naming Mahal". I was shaking when I took the team photo seen at the bottom of the picture above. I was still shaking after all of this. We literally had to settle down before we left the arena. We were so proud of the team and this win.

We were really happy we watched this game. At the end of the day, we support the team - win or lose. It turns out that the game we almost did not watch was the game we will surely remember for years. It was a good win. It was a team win. It was a win that takes us to the right direction - towards the goal of that elusive Final Four.

We went home and still watched the replay. We can't get over that last 6 seconds and the second game winning shot of Desiderio this season. We were these. We witnessed it live. We believe in this team and we will support the team - whether we get to the Final Four or not.

UAAP CDC 2017 : PERFORMANCE ORDER AND SEAT PLAN RELEASED

The order of performance of the different pep squads and the seat plan arrangement of the schools was released this morning through the UAAP Cheerdance Twitter account.

Defending champion NU Pep Squad will be performing first, followed up by the DLSU Animo Squad. Third to perform is last year's third placer Adamson Pep Squad. Performing in the middle of the order are last year's runners up FEU Cheering Squad and the UE Pep Squad. Performing 6th are the come backing UP Pep Squad followed by the UST Salinggawi Dance Troupe. Rounding up the performances is the Ateneo Blue Babble Batallion.

Here is the Tweet from the account:

BREAKING:

2017 UAAP Cheerdance Competition Order of Performances

1. NU

2. DLSU

3. ADU

4. FEU

5. UE

6. UP

7. UST

8. ADMU#UAAPCDC2017

— UAAP Cheerdance (@UAAP_CDC) October 29, 2017

The seat plan was also released as follows:

JUST IN:

Seat arrangement in the 2017 UAAP Cheerdance Competition! pic.twitter.com/fxdw7rckAA

— UAAP Cheerdance (@UAAP_CDC) October 29, 2017

The cheerdance competition will be held on December 2, 2017.

UAAP CDC 2017 : LOOK WHO'S BACK!

Look who's back in the UAAP Cheerdance Competition this year! After 1 year of absence in the competition after the controversial competition in 2015, the UP Pep Squad is back this year! This is confirmed with this post in their official Facebook page :

The competition will be interesting this year. Will UP get back the title and edge UST with the most number of titles? Will NU make history as the second team to have a 5-peat championship? Will UST finally take home a title after 11 years?

The competition will be held on December 2, 2017 at the MOA Arena.

UAAP SEASON 80 : MEN'S BASKETBALL 2ND ROUND SCHEDULE

The second round schedule for the men's basketball tournament of UAAP Season 80 has been released this afternoon. The 2nd round will immediately start this Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with a double header.

Games will be in Araneta, FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan and in the MOA Arena.

Here is UP's round 2 schedule:

Oct 11, 2pm (Wed) - vs UST (Araneta)
Oct 15, 4pm (Sun) - vs DLSU (San Juan)
Oct 22, 4pm (Sun) - vs UE (San Juan)
Oct 28, 4pm (Sat) - vs FEU (MOA)
Nov 5, 4pm (Sun) - vs ADU (Araneta)
Nov 8, 4pm (Wed) - vs ADMU (Araneta)
Nov 11, 2pm (Sat) - vs NU (Araneta)

Here is the complete schedule as posted in the UPMBT Twitter account:

Here is the full second round sched for #UAAPSeason80 pic.twitter.com/BVDxqEPzgc

— UP Fighting Maroons (@upmbt) October 9, 2017

Hoping for more wins for UP in the 2nd round. #UPFight

UP FIGHTING MARRONS : THE STORY OF THE GREAT HYPE VIDEO FOR UAAP SEASON 80

I really just have to put this here. This is the story of the very good hype video for the UP Fighting Maroons for UAAP Season 80 - thanks to CNN Philippines for this great discussion and for posting it in their Twitter account :

Local hiphop artist @imBLKD together with director Joyce Torrecampo put together UP's uprising in a hype video. https://t.co/toRCuyScDk pic.twitter.com/ZMMxCzaa2m

— CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) September 28, 2017

Tayo UP! UP Fight!

UAAP SEASON 80 : A SWEET SATURDAY FOR THE UP FIGHTING MAROONS

Last Friday, our office volleyball team had a game against one of the good teams in our office tournament. One of my colleagues asked me, do you think we can beat them? I just answered, "Of course. You will start losing once you stop believing."

Unfortunately for us, our team lost but we still forced the game to a deciding set and in our hearts, we still won.

Yesterday, it was UP Men's Basketball Team's game against the defending champions De La Salle University. I actually planned to watch it at home but my sister called me last Friday night and said that we can still get tickets for the game. Being the impulsive person that I am, I agreed to go to MOA arena and watch the game.

I was scrolling my Twitter feed just before we went to MOA arena yesterday and I saw this tweet from UP MBT rookie point guard Jun Manzo:

Walang imposible sa taong naniniwala 🙏🏻 #UPFIGHT

— Jun Manzo (@JkManzo13) September 23, 2017

It was exactly what I believed in yesterday in our volleyball game the day before. Nothing is impossible - you just have to believe.

I was tempering my expectations - DLSU having a perfect record so far and with Ben Mbala back into the fold, I was just hoping for a miracle win at best or just at least a close game. We were there just to cheer our hearts out for the team since I really believe that this can be the team that can put UP back to the Final Four after so many years.

The game started quite as what people expected it to happen. We scored the first points with a 3 point shot from Juan Gomez de Liano but the Green Archers just stepped on the gas pedal after that and built a lead over the Fighting Maroons. The quarter ended with DLSU ahead by 9 points - DLSU 27 - 18 UP.

A more composed UP entered the court in the second quarter. They outscored DLSU by 13 points this quarter and headed into halftime break with a 4 point lead; 47 - 43. What made this quarter sweeter was the fact that almost at the end of this quarter, Rob Ricafort scored his first 2 points in the season with a shot from a pass from Paul Desiderio who slipped near the baseline. Rob battled his way to play for UP after being declared ineligible due to the age limit by the UAAP board but a TRO was released by the court to allow him to play.

May I just say here that the UP Pep Squad had an awesome halftime performance which I think was not shown on TV.

The 3rd quarter was just like a see saw battle between the two teams, with no team having the clear advantage. This is also when the UP crowd was on high gear as well - cheering on the team point after point after point. I also watched the UP - UST game 2 weeks ago which ended with the clutch 3 points by Paul Desiderio. The crowd then was wild. In this game, the crowd was larger and in number evidently but was outnumbered by the DLSU crowd. But we cheered our hearts out. The quarter ended with UP ahead only by 1 point, 66 - 65.

In the fourth quarter, the UP guys really stepped up, with Janjan Jaboneta hitting crucial 3 point shots, Jun Manzo really setting plays and also getting crucial shots, big men Ibrahim Ouattara and Paolo Romero helping the cause, the Gomez de Liano brothers helping on both sides of the court and Paul Desiderio taking charge. DLSU was in an unfamiliar territory - being down by double digits in the last 3 minutes or so in the final quarter. With great defense translating to good offense, UP did the unthinkable - beating the defending champions by 11 points - 98 - 87. A big congratulations to the team for this big win.

*Sorry for the blurred pic. It was hard to get a picture while shaking with excitement and singing UP Naming Mahal after winning this game.

This is a huge win for UP - not just for the players but for the whole community as well. As this blog post started, you should always believe in your self so you can win in any battle in life. With a good performance in the pre-season tournaments, I really believe that this team is special. I hope that the whole community - the students, the employees and the alumni - would also start believing and supporting this team. We have nothing to lose here, we have been in the dumps for so long and now we have started to taste victories that shows us the big hearts our players has, we owe them the support they need. We will always be one UP community.

After all, we only start losing when start to stop believing,

UAAP SEASON 80 : MEET UP'S NEW COURTSIDE REPORTER - AGATHA UVERO

University of the Philippines will have a new courtside reporter for UAAP Season 80 - and she is none other than Agatha Uvero.

Agatha is a Jounalism student in UP Diliman will be replacing Nina Alvia in the courtside for the UP Fighting Maroons. She is one of three courtside reporters this season from the State University. It was revealed earlier that Miguel "Dyp" Dypiangco, a Broadcast Communications major from UP Diliman will be reporting for National University and Migs Gomez, an Electrical Engineering student of UP Diliman will be handling courtside for the University of the East.

Here is the video from the ABS-CBN Sports Twitter account for us to know more about Agatha:

We're welcoming a brand new batch of courtside reporters for #UAAPSeason80!

Next up, the UP Fighting Maroons’ NEW CSR, @jeanagatha_! pic.twitter.com/blxH4r395d

— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) September 1, 2017

Good luck Agatha and represent UP well! #UPFight

UP FIGHT : UP MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM ROSTER FOR SEASON 80 REVEALED

The roster of the University of the Philippines Maroons Men's Basketball Team for the UAAP Season 80 has been revealed just before the UP Pep Rally earlier today.

This team will be aiming to win the university's 2nd basketball title and end its final four and championship drought. The UP Fighting Maroons last entered the final four in 1997 which is already 20 seasons ago and last won its first and only championship in 1989 which is already 28 years ago.

This year's team will still be coached by UP alumni Coach Bo Perasol and will be co-captained by last year's UAAP Mythical Team member Paul Desiderio and senior Andrew Harris.

Here is UP MBT's Season 80 roster:

UP Fighting Maroons is ready to #GoForGreat this #UAAPSeason80! Here is the official list of players facing this year's feisty competition.✊ pic.twitter.com/RGBRhIPqnE

— UP Fighting Maroons (@upmbt) August 29, 2017

New faces for the UP Fighting Maroons are Cebuano Jun Manzo who transferred from University of the Visayas and served residency last year and UPIS standout and UAAP Season 79 Basketball Juniors MVP Juan Gomez de Liano.

This seems to be a solid roster for UP considering their good preseason build up where they were able to get a championship and train in Las Vegas last month.

For their first round schedule, please see this link to an earlier post.

Good Luck UP Fighting Maroons! #UPFight

UAAP 80 : UP FIGHTING MAROONS MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM ROUND 1 SCHEDULE

Here is the round 1 schedule of the UP Fighting Maroons Men's Basketball Team in UAAP Season 80. The season will start on September 9 but UP's game will only start the day after. This schedule is posted in the official Twitter page of the UPMBT.

SHARE & TAG your friends! #UAAPSeason80 is here! 

Like our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages for more updates: @upmbt :-) pic.twitter.com/GfhKF6ZtMX

— UP Fighting Maroons (@upmbt) August 7, 2017

I am planning to watch some games this season, so see you in the games fellow isko and iska. #UPFight