UAAP: Buoyed by new allies, UST hoping for return to basketball glory

FILE – UST Growling Tigers. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—With new partnerships in tow, University of Santo Tomas believes its basketball program is well on its way back to relevancy in UAAP basketball.

UST on Tuesday welcomed Cocolife and Dumper Partylist as their latest partnerships ahead of Season 86 just weeks after announcing its team-up with San Miguel Corporation.

“I have to admit, UST’s way is very conservative because we know what UST stands for and the type of quality education that it gives to students,” admitted the University’s athletic director, Fr. Rodel V. Cansancio, O.P.

The Growling Tigers have a rich winning tradition as one of the winningest basketball programs in the country.

UST, however, hasn’t won a UAAP title since 2006 under the guidance of returning head coach Pido Jarencio. The wins have also been futile for the Tigers for the past two seasons, posting just a combined 4-24 record, including a 1-13 slate in Season 85.

But things are starting to look up for the once mighty Tigers following their partnership with SMC last month. Since then, UST has secured a plethora of promising recruits in time for the upcoming season.

“Now, let’s admit that the flagship sport of the UAAP is basketball and we’re kind of lagging behind in that sport but if you look at our history, next to FEU, we have the most basketball titles,” said Cansancio in Filipino.

“We also recognize the talent and that’s the reason why we go into these partnerships to help us in our basketball program.”

The Tigers are currently in South Korea where they are slated to face several clubs from the Korean Basketball League.