Is UP finally a threat in the recruiting game?
Basketball doesn’t seem to be the favorite subject at the University of the Philippines, UAAP’s only state-endorsed team.
Just under three years ago, the UP Fighting Maroons made history when they became the second team to go 0-14 in the UAAP Basketball Tournament. Pep’s team seems to get more cheers and UP is rarely mentioned in the same vein as Ateneo and La Salle in conversations, unless it is about academic issues.
Fighting Maroons head trainer Aboy Castro is about to change all that.
Since taking office in 2008, Castro has assembled one strong recruiting class after another and, by all indications, they are ready to give traditional basketball powerhouses UST, Ateneo and La Salle a run for their money.
It’s probably too early to predict a trip to the Final Four, but that’s what happens when a team beats a perennial champion team in a competitive preseason tournament.
There is more to him than meets the eye.
The Fighting Maroons’ 68-61 victory over the De La Salle Green Archers on Wednesday is more than just a win on the basketball court. It’s a giant leap for the UP’s efforts, spearheaded by Castro, to win the recruitment game.
“Just like every program, the head coach is really the main recruiter,” Castro said. “You have assistant coaches who do the scouting for you, but overall it’s your program and you have to sell it.”
Castro did well by earning a chunk of the recruiting pie last season when he brought in Mikee Reyes from La Salle Green Hills, training UAAP Juniors MVP Mark Juruena from Adamson and Alvin Padilla from San Beda. This year, Castro is looking forward to playing Mike Silungan, who recently completed his two-year residency requirement, and former high school standouts Jett Manuel from Xavier High School and Joshua Saret, the former JRU Light Bomber who made headlines this season. past for his quadruple-double performance in the tough NCAA Juniors Tournament.
Silungan is a dynamic scorer and is perhaps the main reason the Fighting Maroons are quickly emerging as a team to watch for the upcoming UAAP season.
“I waited two years for this guy. My team was young in 2008 when I came in and we knew there were going to be growing pains,” Castro said, referring to Silungan. “Coaches always want to streamline it, but sometimes you just have to go through it.
Averaging 24.7 PPG in the preseason, Silungan showed he can dominate games when he scored 35 points against the EAC Generals on Friday, leading the Maroons to a 78-75 victory despite the absence of Woody Co and Maggie Sison.
Saret is a surprise addition to the Fighting Maroons.
“It was just a stroke of luck. We were interested in it since last year,” Castro replied when asked how he attracted Saret, who made history after registering 89 points, 11 rebounds, 12 assists and 13 steals against AUF Junior Danes. last season. “We’re still talking to him.”
The Maroons are also thinking beyond 2010, recruiting Alinko Mbah, a towering big man from Nigeria who has been seeing action in the Filoil preseason tournament. He will be eligible to play in the UAAP in 2011.
So what draws these players to UP?
“The environment and the culture,” Castro responded. “We don’t have the assignments or facilities that the top three programs have, but they enjoy playing here and want to be part of the team to turn UP around.”