Fighting Maroons, TopBreed Seal Partnership Deal

The University of the Philippines Men’s Basketball Team (UPMBT) has a new major supporter on board after it inked a partnership deal with TopBreed Dog Meal Tuesday, October 13 as part of their continuous preparation for the upcoming University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season.

TopBreed, formulated to satisfy the nutritional needs of dogs for health, general well-being and optimum performance, is a brand under Universal Robina Corporation’s Agro-Industrial Group (URC-AIG), one of the long-time backers of the Fighting Maroons through its premium farm products unit, Robina Farms.

Present in the memorandum of agreement signing are AIG managing director Vincent Henry Go, marketing director Jonathan Diño, category manager Julie Ann Climacosa, UPMBT manager Atty. Agaton Uvero, head coach Bo Perasol, and nowheretogobutUP Foundation founder Renan Dalisay.

“We are beyond proud to once again be part of the huge crowd of Isko and Iska supporting and rooting for the UP Fighting Maroons. We treasure this partnership with the UPMBT and the whole UP community as we share the same values of integrity, passion for excellence, innovation, and loyalty. Our parallel journeys have shown these values in action,” said Go.

According to Go, the name and reputation that the Fighting Maroons has made for itself mirrors that of TopBreed, the leading Philippine-made dog food brand in the country. The brand also produces top dog essentials like ShamPooch shampoo and TopB+ vitamins.

“TopBreed, just like the Fighting Maroons, has the same ‘never say die’ spirit, rising from the bottom to be one of the most recognized and respected teams today. This achievement mirrors how TopBreed went against internationally-known giant brands and won the hearts of Filipino furparents nationwide.”

Fighting Maroons head coach Bo Perasol expressed his gratitude to the Gokongwei Group of Companies for their unending support through the years.

“We cannot thank them enough. They have been here for us even during our dark years and up to now that we are still facing this pandemic. Their help will really give us a great boost in the upcoming season,” said Perasol.

“Like TopBreed, we were underdogs in our respective fields, but we have both risen to the challenge. We look forward to getting back on the court to give the best that we can for them and for the UP community,” the Maroons mentor added.

UPMBT manager Atty. Uvero also reiterated the team and the management’s gratitude to the Gokongwei Group for the help they continue to receive from the brands despite the COVID-19 crisis.

“We are truly grateful to URC AIG and another one of their brands - TopBreed - for continuing its support to the team despite the business difficulties in these pandemic times,” said Atty. Uvero.

“This partnership is far from the ordinary. This time, we can see the other side of the Fighting Maroons---as furbuddies or furparents. We have must-watch features on the players and coaches with their dogs. We can also catch them on an online pupper meet and greet where we can get to know them more,” said Go.

“TopBreed and UPMBT will also partner in delivering top care to campus dogs through a project called UP Doggo Day. This partnership has much in store for the whole UPMBT crowd,” Diño promised.

Atencio’s JHI Extends Support to the Maroons for UAAP Season 83 & 84

The University of the Philippines Men’s Basketball Team (UPMBT) will still have Januarius Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiary STATS Performance Apparel among its top supporters for the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Seasons 83 and 84.

JHI Chairman and chief executive officer JJ Atencio has been bankrolling the UPMBT’s training camps in Las Vegas, Serbia and Tokyo in 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. This year the COVID-19 pandemic has ruled out overseas trips for the Fighting Maroons but Atencio and company are still including advanced training as part of their plan.

“Our journey with the UPMBT started three years ago, when, acting on a strong gut feeling, we decided to be major sponsors, despite the team’s just coming out of a lackluster season, the absence of significant community support, and my not even being a UP alumnus. We wanted to be part of the dream and help create something that eventually we could all be proud of. Fast forward to today, it’s a completely different situation, isn’t it?” asked Atencio.

Atencio is a graduate of UP’s Katipunan rival, Ateneo de Manila University, but believes he has a mission with the Fighting Maroons and it is not yet done.

“While the team has accomplished a lot these past years, the work isn’t finished yet. That dream continues to unfold. Success is a process after all, and we continue to be motivated and encouraged to keep on supporting and being part of this journey - in good times and bad. We think that the next two years will be really good for the team,” said Atencio, who is now taking up his master’s degree in UP.

Atencio said he believes that foreign training is a game changer that can quickly produce the desired results. “We’ve seen it. After three straight years of training abroad, we placed fifth the first year, second in the second year, and third after last year’s training. We’re still committed to sending the team for training abroad in Seasons 83 and 84 as soon as it’s possible,” Atencio added.

Besides the team outfits and the commitment to send the team abroad for training, Atencio announced that JHI are providing the Maroons with data analytics technology. “What’s also exciting for us starting this year is analytics. That’s one of the things we are working on with the team and that’s what we’re looking forward to -- how it would help them,” Atencio bared.

Present in the memorandum of agreement signing were Atencio, UPMBT head coach Bo Perasol, team manager Atty. Agaton Uvero, nowheretogobutUP Foundation founder Renan Dalisay, JHI chief operating officer Marcy Venezuela, and STATS chief executive officer Edrin Panganiban.

“We are beyond grateful for having JJ [Atencio] and JHI in the team for the past three years and a couple more. Despite the COVID-19 situation, he still chose to stay on. He is as determined as we are to see everything through. More than the financial aspect of things, the moral support they have given us from the start is priceless. JJ is like a father or a brother to the players and us coaches. His kindness and faith in the team truly inspires us,” said Bo Perasol.

For his part, UP Fighting Maroons team manager Atty. Agaton Uvero stressed how the team struggled in the past and how supporters like Atencio and STATS help to keep them on track for years to come.

“Sir JJ Atencio was one of the first to give hope to our program. A believer in the value of education, he graciously sponsored the team’s first overseas training when all we had to show was a promise to do our best. Four years after, we now have a sustainable program and a team that is going to be competitive for many years to come. We will always be grateful for his support,” Uvero said.

Cansino Moves On, Chooses to Join Fighting Maroon

After his sudden departure from the University of Santo Tomas (UST), UAAP Season 80 Juniors MVP CJ Cansino quickly moved on and chose the University of the Philippines (UP) to be his new home.

The 6-foot-2 guard known for his speed, strength and sweet shooting met with UP Men’s Basketball Team (UPMBT) manager Atty. Agaton Uvero and head coach Bo Perasol on Friday, August 21 and expressed his interest to join the Diliman-based squad.

“Unang-una sa lahat, UST is my dream school kaya nalulungkot talaga ako sa nangyari. Hinding-hindi ko makakalimutan ang UST and thankful ako sa kanila na binigyan nila ako ng opportunity, pero I need to move on,” Cansino said.

“Noong natanggap ko na, na hindi na ako pwede sa UST, marami po akong kinausap and kinonsulta. Ang naging pakiramdam ko po ay mas bagay talaga ako sa UP, mas comfortable ako sa UP,” he added.

Perasol welcomed Cansino’s decision to join the Fighting Maroons and assured the incoming third-year guard that he will help him adjust to the new environment.

“CJ will be a great addition to ensuring the sustainability of the program, especially with possibly just one player left from last season playing for Season 84. I will personally help him make the transition to being a Fighting Maroon. CJ will definitely enjoy his stay in UP,” Perasol said.

Team manager Atty. Uvero said the UPMBT is happy to have the multi-talented former juniors star join the squad.

“We wanted him to play for UP when he graduated from UST high school two years ago, but his heart has always been with UST. We are happy and lucky that he chose to be part of the Fighting Maroons this time,” Uvero said.

Fighting Maroons look back at their Historic UAAP 81 Run

If there’s one good thing that has come out of this pandemic, it’s that friendship and family bonds have gotten stronger, despite or because of the physical absence.

A tightly-knit family and the best of friends because of their shared experience, the UP Fighting Maroons of University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81, held a long overdue reunion Friday, July 17 and hopped on a Zoom call for a virtual party.

Dubbed Zoomustahan with UAAP Season 81 UPMBT, the get-together was attended by Season 81 captain Paul Desiderio, that season’s MVP Bright Akhuetie, Jun Manzo, Juan Gomez de Liaño, Javi Gomez de Liaño, Diego Dario, Jarrell Lim, Gelo Vito, Janjan Jaboneta, Will Gozum, Pio Longa, Jaydee Tungcab, JJ Española and head coach Bo Perasol. Season 80’s UP courtside reporter Agatha Uvero and Nowhere To Go But UP: How a Basketball Team Inspired a Nation author Naveen Ganglani hosted the e-vent that was aired on Facebook Live so UP fans and the public could join the reunion.

The giddy group recalled their favorite memories of the UP Men’s Basketball Team’s incredible run in 2018, exchanged updates on what they have been doing during the quarantine, revealed behind-the-scenes thoughts and conversations of Season 81 and uncorked a few secrets that still surprised many.

Team captain Paul Desiderio jokingly recounted how much of a challenge it was to lead his team that year, but how his fellow seniors – Diego Dario, Jarrell Lim and Gelo Vito – shared the load and made the job easier.

The boys recalled special moments – like that classic inbound pass from Juan GDL that Bright caught at the precise moment and laid up for the winning points while Paul Desiderio fought tooth and nail to get Papi Sarr out of his defensive position. That shot opened the gates for the Maroons’ first real ticket to the Finals as it erased the Adamson Falcons’ twice-to-beat advantage and put them at par with Adamson in a knock-out game for a Finals seat.

“That was a classic. There was no way to rehearse that the way it happened, even if it was a play that was designed by Coach Ronnie (Magsanoc) at practice. Nobody could have prepared for the way it was executed,” he said. “That’s why we still talk about it today.

But prior to that blistering Final Four run that began when the Maroons played a masterful game against La Salle that catapulted them into the Final Four for the first time in 21 years, the Maroons were floundering and being inconsistent. From heady conquests of some teams, they would succumb to teams they could easily beat. Most glaring was a Second Round game against UE where they were whipped by the Wartriors in the first half.

Jarrell Lim recalled the moment. “There was a game against UE where Coach Bo got really mad. We knew we could win that game easily, but we were playing badly. In the dugout, Coach Bo said something that really scared us. He said, “If we lose this game, I’m going to resign.” That was a wake-up call for us. That was the turning point. That was when we really talked to each other as teammates and we began to take things more seriously.” The Maroons saved the day with a decisive win over the Red Warriors in the second half. From that point onwards, they never looked back.

“Nag-usap kaming mga seniors, I think losing-record kami non. We said ‘We can’t let this happen kasi ito na ‘yong last year namin.’ Naisip namin to talk to the coaches, and we all got our acts together,” Diego Dario added.

Still there was talk that UP got to the finals because they were simply lucky. Coach Bo dismissed that impression without hesitation.

“Hindi ka naman mananalo nang magic lang, na walang galing. Even if you keep on fighting, , if you do not have the set of skills to match up with one other, ang hirap, hindi makakaya yon,” Perasol said. “There were a lot of times in UP history na puro laban lang. Hindi mo matatawaran ang laban ng mga taga-UP. But this bunch of guys, hindi sila puro lumaban lang. You have to consider the skill level of these guys.”

There was a lot of light-hearted ribbing and teasing among the reuniting Maroons, one of which was pointing out Bright Akhuetie’s incredible appetite for Crispy Pata, determining who had the biggest appetite at dinners and parties (Javi GDL, Will Gozum, and Pio Longa) and who was the most “makulit”. The band of brothers – who were obviously still very comfortable with each other -- was not beyond asking Will Gozum (who has since joined the De La Salle-College of St. Benilde) to go back to UP “habang may pandemic pa”. Later in the reunion, Season 82 teammate and Mythical Team member Kobe Paras and new recruit Malick Diouf also joined in the fun, conversing with their brothers rowdily and familiarly.

The UP Men’s Basketball Team (UPMBT) made history in UAAP Season 81 by breaking their 21-year Final Four drought and making it to the Finals for the first time after 32 years.

This is the second batch of Fighting Maroons to do a virtual get together during the quarantine period. Back in April, members of the 2014 UPMBT, the team which rejoiced at ending a 27-game losing streak that prompted a controversial bonfire celebration, also had a Zoom call hosted by Fighting Maroon stalwart and game announcer Mikee Reyes.

UP basketball fans had a chance to win prizes by answering trivia questions and joining a raffle that was part of the ZOOMustahan.