Rhenz Abando just said what the entire University of Santo Tomas community wants to hear.
“It’s in UST where I will finish my collegiate career,” Abando declared on Saturday, just after helping the Growling Tigers fend off National University, 88-76 in Season 82 of the UAAP men’s basketball elimination.
And that would hopefully put an end to all the buzz that’s going on in all forms of media after the prized forward was benched in a win over University of the Philippines last week, something that happened after it was learned that Abando was being recruited by a rival school.
For now, all’s well that ends well.
Abando was back on the floor for the Tigers after that one game, and the athletic forward said that the love he’s gotten from the UST community was the same from when he started.
And that’s why he’s staying put.
“I’ve always felt their support since the beginning and it was the same today,” Abando said. “Although I know that there are always the side comments from what happened, my teammates are [still] there to support me.”
Abando was recently embroiled in controversy after it was uncovered that one of the schools in the UAAP tried to pry him away from the Tigers’ lair while he was serving his one-year residency in 2018.
Things may have happened a year earlier, but it was only uncovered on Wednesday when Abando was benched in the Tigers’ 84-78 win over the Maroons.
Nevertheless, Abando maintained that he would complete his four-year stay with UST, most especially after talking to volleyball superstar Cherry Ann “Sisi” Rondina.
Abando said that Rondina, the Season 81 MVP, reached out to him during the controversy and he had a broader idea of what the situation entails.
“I thank Sisi a lot because she’s supporting us and after talking to her, I realized that I should love UST more,” said Abando, who had nine points and five rebounds in his return.
“There’s a boost of energy coming from them,” he said.