2023 UST Growling Tigers basketball team

The 2023 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team represented the University of Santo Tomas in the 86th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. The men's basketball tournament for the academic year 2023–24 began on September 30, 2023, and the host school for the season was the University of the East.

The Tigers finished eighth and last at the end of the double round-robin eliminations for the second straight year with a 2–12 record after going through a 19-game losing streak that dated back from Season 85. They won only their opening game on October 1, 2022 and then went through a pile of defeats that continued to the current season, where they lost six straight games in the first round of eliminations.

They had an average winning margin of 6.0 points and an average losing margin of 16.5 points. Five of their losses were by blowouts, with one against the Ateneo Blue Eagles by 20 points in the first round, and two in each round against the De La Salle Green Archers and the UP Fighting Maroons, by 20, 31, 31, and 25 points, respectively. Their first round game against the Adamson Soaring Falcons resulted to a three-point overtime loss.

Nic Cabañero once again led the league in scoring with an average of 16.8 points per game. He scored 25 points in their first round game against La Salle, and finished with more than 20 points in three of their other games. He was ranked 8th in the players' MVP tally with 60.1 statistical points at the end of the second round of eliminations.

Roster
The Growling Tigers came out with a list of 18 players in the days leading to the start of the UAAP tournament. Sophomore guard Soysoy Escobido and former Tiger Cubs playmaker Jethro Escoto did not make the cut to the official 16-man roster. 

Depth chart
Depth chart 

Roster changes
Four players have departed the Growling Tigers' roster, with Jamba Garing and Ian Herrera graduating, and Richi Calimag and Royce Mantua transferring. Soysoy Escobido and Kendall Valentin were cut from the team's final lineup. Mantua, Escobido, and Valentin had suited up in the Tigers' preseason games, but Mantua decided to move to Adamson in September. Calimag left as early as February to transfer to San Beda in the NCAA.

Garing averaged 3.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game in 15.7 minutes last season, while Calimag and Mantua averaged 3.5 and 3.3 points, and 2.9 and 2.3 rebounds in 14.6 and 10.5 minutes, respectively. Herrera saw limited action, playing behind Adama Faye, for 3.7 minutes per game.

In early February, then incoming assistant coach and former Growling Tiger Japs Cuan oversaw the team's training and observed positive development in the performance of their holdovers from Season 85. The coaching staff was still anticipating the arrival of new recruits that time.

Replacing the six players were Angelo Crisostomo, Ivanne Calum, and Thirdy Esmeña, from UST's training pool, rookies SJ Moore and Mark Llemit, and Vince Ventulan, a one-and-done Filipino American recruit from Florida.

Moore was ranked 15th among the National Basketball Training Center's top 24 high school players for 2023, and was named Most Valuable Player in the All-star game of the NBTC National Finals. The high-leaping swingman was a one-and-done high school player from the Arellano Braves, who averaged 19.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game in the NCAA Juniors tournament. He led the Braves in ending the Letran Squires' winning streak in the first round with a double-double of 24 points and 18 rebounds, on top of four shot blocks in February. Moore made his commitment to play for the UST Growling Tigers official on March 24, 2023.

UST Tiger Cub forward Mark Llemit committed to UST on April 13, 2023. He was named the 19th best high school player by the NBTC and had led the Tiger Cubs to the semifinals of both the UAAP and the Division 1 of the NBTC National Finals. Llemit had earlier scored a career-high 27 points against the UPIS Junior Maroons to lead his team to the Final Four in the UAAP Boys division in February. Both Moore and Llemit are eligible for five playing years starting in Season 86.

Coaching changes
On January 26, 2023, The Varsitarian, UST's student publication, reported that Bal David had resigned as the team's head coach, six months after taking on the position. The Tigers have had two coaching changes since the training bubble controversy in 2020. David replaced Jino Manansala and was appointed coach with only two months of preparation before the start of the 85th season of the UAAP. The team managed to get only a single win in the 14-game tournament under him.

As their Season 85 campaign ended, David had hoped to coach for one more season and continue UST's rebuilding in the offseason, but only two months after, the 50-year old mentor had tendered his resignation. When asked why he was stepping down, David alluded to the manner in which the basketball program was handled the past year.

The former Growling Tiger playmaker, who is best remembered for his championship-winning free throw during the 1994 UAAP Finals against La Salle, was in for a rough homecoming when he accepted the offer to coach the 2022 team. The Tigers were coming off a 3–11 win–loss campaign that was riddled with blowout losses, one that even broke the league record for the most lopsided outcome, when they got beaten by Ateneo by 50 points. Next came the decommitment of their blue chip recruits, when the Filipino American bigman Gani Stevens transferred to the University of the East, and the high-scoring Kean Baclaan's move to National University, as well as the ineligibility issues of two of their veterans, when Sherwin Concepcion and Bryan Santos were both ruled to have exceeded the league's age limit.

One week later, UST officially announced the appointment of returning head coach Pido Jarencio. Jarencio resigned in 2013 after leading the Tigers to back-to-back runner-up finishes when he accepted an offer to coach the NorthPort Batang Pier team in the Philippine Basketball Association. He signed a three-year contract on February 13, 2023 in the presence of the Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA) director Fr. Rodel Cansancio and UST rector Fr. Richard Ang. Also present in the signing were former Letran Knights' coach and Jarencio's Northport associate Bonnie Tan, who was named team consultant of the Growling Tigers; former Knights' team managers Waiyip Chong and Eric Ang, who were set to serve as UST's new managers; and an all-UST alumni coaching staff.

On July 10, 2023, the UST basketball program formally received support from San Miguel Corporation when they named Alfrancis Chua, former Glowing Goldie and current sports director of SMC, as the Tigers' Special Assistant to the Rector for Sports.

Preseason tournaments
The rebuilding Growling Tigers opted to not participate in the preseason tournaments, and instead went to Korea to train for eleven days by playing tune-up games against professional teams from the Korean Basketball League, and against top collegiate teams.

When the Tigers came back to the country, they joined the Breakdown Basketball Invitational tournament, where they fielded two teams composed of their blue chip recruits who are undergoing the residency period, as well as members of their training pool who were fighting for slots in the 16-man UAAP roster.

The Breakdown Basketball Invitational games were played in a single round-robin format and all of UST's games were broadcast via livestream on Sulit Breakdown Basketball's Facebook page.

UAAP games
Elimination games were played in a double round-robin format and all of UST's games were televised on One Sports and the UAAP Varsity Channel.

Summary
Even as the Growling Tigers finished dead last in Season 85, ESPN Philippines ranked them in their preseason assessment just below the top four powerhouse teams of UP, Ateneo, La Salle, and NU, with a B-minus rating. UST had been serious in turning their fortunes around, when they welcomed the return of Jarencio, the coach who gave the community their last championship in 2006, and paved the way to finalizing the team's partnership with San Miguel Corporation. With it came the needed recruitment of high school standouts and blue chip players.

As early as last season, Nic Cabañero has been thrust into the role of King Tiger, after the team's veterans had left the roster. He was able to fulfill it by emerging as the league's scoring leader, although, he along with Adama Faye were the only bright spots of the team. This year, he looks to work on his leadership among his teammates.

First round

 * UE Red Warriors

The Tigers suffered a ten-point opening day loss against the UE Red Warriors, and extended their losing streak from the past season to 14. UE led by as many as 19 points in the third quarter, but UST fought back with Cabañero and Mark Llemit spearheading a 13–4 run at the 2:03 mark of the fourth period to come within eight at 67–75. The Warriors then converted a triple and got Cabañero to commit his fifth foul after a charge was called on him against UE's Jack Cruz-Dumont. Dumont made both his free throws for the final count of 70–80.

Earlier in the first quarter, the Tigers rallied back from a 9–22 deficit with 12 unanswered points until the buzzer sounded for a 21–22 count. UE recovered to end the half with a 12-point lead. Cabañero, Christian Manaytay, and Migs Pangilinan finished in double figures with 18, 15, and 10 points, respectively.

Coach Pido Jarencio attributed the loss to the team's poor shot selection when they made only 21 of their 62 field goal attempts, and committed 20 turnovers. On top of that, Adama Faye, their Senegalese center sat out midway in the game after complaining of back pains, causing the team to lag on defense.


 * Adamson Soaring Falcons

UST lost in overtime against the Adamson Soaring Falcons and dropped to a 0–2 record. After the Falcons' Joem Sabandal hit a jumper in the last 5 seconds of regulation, Cabañero countered with a layup with 2.2 seconds left to tie the score at 68–all and send the game into overtime. The Tigers, however, could not score after, allowing the Falcons to orchestrate a 9–2 run. Cabañero then made back-to-back three point shots, the second of which was a running contested shot, to bring UST to within one at 76–77, with under 30 seconds remaining. Team captain Paul Manalang fouled Adamson's Mathew Montebon to stop the clock, who then made both free throws to increase the lead to three. With 2.7 seconds left, Pangilinan threw a shot from near midcourt, but missed the potential game-tying three. The game ended with the Tigers losing, 76–79. Pangilinan led the team in scoring with 18 points, 12 coming from four three-point shots. Cabañero and Angelo Crisostomo chipped in 17 and 10 points, respectively. They were without Faye, who was reported to have been continuously suffering from back pains.


 * De La Salle Green Archers

UST remained winless after losing by 20 points against La Salle. The Tigers have not won against the Archers for the past eight years, dating back to the second round of the 2015 season when they swept their opponents in both rounds of eliminations. They got dominated in the second half after maintaining an 11-point deficit from the first and second quarter. The Archers went on a 19–4 run to increase their lead to 26, with 3:37 left in the third period. It was a one-man show for the Tigers, as Cabañero forced his shots to finish with 25 points, while committing 8 turnovers in the process. No other player from UST scored in double digits, with Pangilinan and Manaytay contributing only 8 and 7 points. The absence of Faye proved to be a challenge for the team, both offensively and defensively.


 * NU Bulldogs

The Tigers fell victim to the NU Bulldogs' strong first quarter, as they allowed their opponents to score 30 points to end the period on a 16-point deficit. UST never tasted the lead throughout the game, and even trailed by as many as 28 points at one point. Manaytay finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds, with the heavily-guarded Canañero adding 16 points, as they ended up losing for the 17th straight time since the first round of Season 85.

With Faye's continued absence, the Tigers got outrebounded, 25–45. When asked of their Senegalese player's status, Assistant coach Japs Cuan did not give a definite timeline for his return, while referring to the sophomore center's back issues. Faye, who led the league in rebounds in Season 85, has only suited up twice this season on limited minutes.


 * UP Fighting Maroons

UST suffered a 31-point blowout loss at the hands of the league-leading UP Fighting Maroons. The Tigers led early in the game and ended the first quarter with a 4-point deficit at 24–28, but were dominated in the second period when the Maroons poured in 31 points to extend their lead to 14, going into the halftime break. Their opponents' defense prevented them from scoring in the second half and were at one point trailing by as many as 37 points. In the end, UST allowed UP to score 110 points, the most made by a UAAP team since the 2018 season, when, coincidentally, it was also the Tigers who yielded a 69–110 loss against La Salle. Cabañero and Manaytay finished with 24 and 23 points, respectively, to topscore for the still-winless Tigers.


 * Ateneo Blue Eagles

The Growling Tigers ended up in another 20-point loss, this time against the Ateneo Blue Eagles. UST could not get their shots to drop, scoring only 10 points in the first quarter to yield a 7-point deficit to Ateneo. They were able to maintain the distance by keeping pace with their opponents, scoring 23 points in the second period, and even managed to come within four points, at 58–62 behind Crisostomo's undergoal plays. It was in the second half when the Eagles got going and subjected UST to a 17–3 run. The Tigers went on a fouling spree, sending Ateneo to the free throw line fourteen times. The Eagles' Joseph Obasa, at one point made four successive three-point plays off fouls by Crisostomo and Echo Laure. Three Tigers ended up in double-digit scoring, with Cabañero, Manaytay, and Pangilinan finishing with 21, 17, and 11 points, respectively.

With the latest loss, the Tigers have surpassed their longest losing streak back in 2017, when they went winless for 17 straight games, beginning in their four-game skid from the second round of Season 79 until the last game of Season 80, when they defeated the UE Red Warriors for a 1–13 record. They are currently on a 19-game losing spell after winning only their opening game against Adamson in Season 85.


 * FEU Tamaraws

UST finally ended their losing streak at the expense of the FEU Tamaraws. Cabañero scored 11 of his team-high of 23 points in the third quarter, highlighted by his basket at the buzzer after getting blocked by his taller defenders, securing a rebound, and scoring a putback while getting fouled for a three-point play. He converted his free throw to give the Tigers a 55–50 lead going into the final period.

They were able to increase their lead to eleven, midway in the fourth quarter, with Pangilinan hitting a triple. The Tamaraws went scoreless for seven minutes, until Xyrus Torres and L-Jay Gonzales got their shots to drop, cutting UST's lead to six at 65-59 in the last 2:47. Manaytay finished with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds to add to Cabañero's 23 points. Kenji Duremdes also had a productive outing, hauling down 10 rebounds to go with his 7 points, 5 assists, and 2 shot blocks.

Second round
The Growling Tigers ended the first round of eliminations with a 1–6 record for the second year in a row. But unlike last year, where the team's long losing streak of 13 games can be attributed to their lack of preparation, this year's squad even boasted of a strong backer and a coach who has already given the school a championship in the past. Things did not go as expected, though, as the Tigers went on to lose their first six games and extended their win drought to an unprecedented 19 games.

Even with their breakthrough win over FEU in the last day of the first round of eliminations, UST was still at the bottom of the standings, trailing FEU and UE's 2–5 records. While it is mathematically possible for them to still make it to the playoffs, it will be a difficult task as history has shown that no team that has won only one game in the first round ever reached the Final Four. The highest rank that a UAAP team with a first-round single win got was a fifth-place finish, with Adamson pulling it off twice, in Seasons 72 and 84, and with UP in Season 79.

In order for UST to continue winning their remaining games in the second round, they have to hope for better offensive performances than they have shown in the earlier round. Cabañero, last season's scoring leader, is still this year's leader with 20.6 points per game, and is supported by Manaytay's 13.9 and Pangilinan's 9.6-point averages. But outside of the three players, no one in the team has scored more than 6.9 points per game, with consistency in shooting being a problem that hounded them throughout the first round. The Tigers ranked fifth in offense among the eight competing teams, with 72.9 points per game, against the combined 86.6-point average of their opponents.

Adama Faye's continued absence has shown in their lack of rebounding, and, while they were able to duke it out with FEU, the other stronger teams will be tough to overcome in the second round. Faye led the league in rebounds with an average of 12.2 boards per game last year, but has only hauled down a total of three rebounds in the two games that he played in this season. The team's average of 40.4 rebounds per game ranks them last in the league.


 * De La Salle Green Archers

The Tigers were once again dealt with a 31-point blowout loss, this time by La Salle, to begin the second round of eliminations. UST had engaged the Archers in a shootout, trading baskets early in the game, as they ended the first period by an eight-point deficit, at 21–29. La Salle's Kevin Quiambao and Evan Nelle led an attack to break away from the Tigers to end the half at 52–38. UST was not able to keep up as they allowed their opponent to breach the 100-point barrier for the second time this season. Cabañero and Manaytay led again in scoring with 13 and 10 points, respectively.


 * UE Red Warriors

UE ended their five-game losing streak at the expense of the Tigers. The Warriors clamped down on their defense, as UST was held scoreless for more than seven minutes in the third quarter, and were only able to score 7 points after trailing UE by 9 points at the half. The Warriors had gone on a 10–0 run until Vince Ventulan ended their scoring drought at 2:42 after firing a triple for a 49–65 score. Down from 16 points in the fourth quarter, Cabañero and Pangilinan shot three straight three-pointers to come within 10 at 59–69. Three minutes later, the Warriors exploded with a 14–4 run as UST found themselves in a 20-point deficit. Pangilinan, Cabañero, and Ivanne Calum led the team in scoring with 20, 18, and 11 points, respectively.


 * Adamson Soaring Falcons

The Tigers' loss against Adamson has sent them on the brink of getting eliminated from Final Four contention after incurring their ninth defeat of the season. Trailing at 40–50 at the start of the fourth period, Manaytay, Ivan Lazarte, and Calum connived for a six-minute 10–2 run to come within two points at 50–52. UST then ran out of firepower as the Falcons bombarded them with three consecutive triples to increase the lead to 11, with 2:49 remaining in the game. Cabañero had an off game, managing to score only 9 points on a 3-of-15 field goal conversion. Manaytay, who had celebrated his birthday, was the only player to score in double digits for the Tigers with 13. Two other players in Calum and Lazarte scored 9 points, as Manalang, Pangilinan, and Duremdes contributed 8, 4, and 1 point, respectively.

Prior to their game against the Falcons, The Varsitarian reported that Adama Faye is officially out of the Growling Tigers' roster, as he was set to fly out to his home country in Senegal to recover from his back injury. UST officials had earlier said that the team will release an announcement on the status of the second-year player. Suiting up in only two games this season, it was evident that the Tigers have missed Faye's inside presence as they got outrebounded by their opponents in seven out of the nine games they have played so far.


 * Ateneo Blue Eagles

Ateneo ended their three-game losing streak at the expense of UST, as the Tigers were eliminated from Final Four contention with their 10th loss of the season. The Eagles started the game with a tough defense on UST, forcing them to commit turnovers, as they trailed 4–11, midway in the opening quarter. Cabañero, though guarded heavily, kept the Tigers' offense going, as he scored a three-point play to end the quarter at 12–22.

A 9–0 rally by Ateneo's Kai Ballungay and Jared Brown saw UST's deficit increase to 18, at 16–34, but the Eagles committed back-to-back turnovers and allowed Migs Pangilinan to score two fastbreak layups. The first half ended with the Tigers trailing, 29–43. The third period began with a Ballungay putback to increase the Eagles' lead by two more points, before going on a six-minute scoring drought. UST was able to capitalize with a 10–0 run that was highlighted by a goaltending call on Ateneo's Joseph Obasa. The Eagles' Sean Quitevis ended their spell after scoring on a reverse layup. The Tigers answered with back-to-back baskets from Kenji Duremdes at the 1:57 mark to pull the team within four points, at 43–47. Ateneo's Chris Koon was able to sneak in a three-pointer as the third quarter buzzer sounded, for a 50–43 lead. The Eagles managed to score only seven points, on 3-of-22 shooting in the quarter.

Ateneo made another run to start the final period, scoring seven unanswered points in the first two minutes, causing the Tigers to call a timeout. After the break, UST was able to answer with a 10–2 rally of their own, to come within six, at 53–59, following a split by Cabañero at the free throw line. A layup by the Eagles' Raffy Celis off a baseline drive at the 1:56 mark increased their lead to eight, as Pangilinan and Mason Amos traded threes for a 56–64 score. Manaytay fouled out in the next possession after a moving screen was called on him. Koon was able to convert on the other end on an awkward shot to push Ateneo's lead up to ten, at 66–56. Kylle Magdangal then fired a triple and the Tigers went for a quick foul to stop the time. Celis made both free throws to seal the game for a 67–59 count. The Blue Eagles extended their win streak over the Growling Tigers to 17 games starting from Season 78.

Cabañero was three assists shy of a triple-double, tallying 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. Pangilinan added 13 points, while Duremdes finished with 9 points and 9 rebounds. Manaytay, despite compiling 10 rebounds and 2 blocks, had an off game in offense as he scored only 2 points on a 1-of-6 shooting clip, while committing a team-high of 7 turnovers. The Tigers struggled with ball control, notably in the firsr half, as they turned the ball over 19 times, resulting to 23 transition points for Ateneo.

They outrebounded Ateneo, 50–48, but lost in the offensive boards, 18–23. Seldom-used Ateneo rookie Raffy Celis collared 9 offensive boards out of his total of 11 rebounds.


 * NU Bulldogs

The Growling Tigers lost anew against the NU Bulldogs, 65–75, as they continued to struggle late in the second round of eliminations. Christian Manaytay led UST in scoring eight unanswered points early in the first quarter to pull his team to a three-point lead, after trailing at 4–9. That was the only time for the Tigers to taste the lead in the game, as the Bulldogs countered with an 11–4 run to end the period.

They began the second quarter with a 4–1 run from being down, 16–20. The Bulldogs buckled down to work and went on another 14–8 run. They limited Cabañero to only 6 points, on a 2-of-20 field goal at the half with their tight defense. Even as the King Tiger finished with a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, they could not keep up with NU, as they trailed by as many as 18 points, midway in the fourth quarter. The Tigers attempted a mini-rally early in the period when Cabañero and Manaytay scored bask-to-back baskets to trim down the lead to 11, at 46–57, after being down by 15 at the end of the third quarter. The Bulldogs' PJ Palacielo countered with a tightly-contested undergoal shot to put an end to their uprising. Kean Baclaan followed it with an and-1 play, and Omar John made his own conversion for a 64–46 score and put the Tigers away for good, with still 4:39 left in the game. UST was forced into multiple turnovers, committing 14, and only shooting 35 percent as the Bulldogs tightened their defense in the second half. One of the few highlights in UST's game was a two-handed slam dunk by rookie SJ Moore in the closing seconds of the match.


 * UP Fighting Maroons

UST lost again against the UP Fighting Maroons by another blowout, as they dropped to a 1–12 record and remained winless in the second round of eliminations. Even without their head coach, as it was reported that Pido Jarencio had to sit out due to an illness, the Tigers were able to start strong and led early in the opening minutes, scoring 9 against UP's 2 points. It was then that the Maroons substituted their starters and took control with a 22–9 run that had UST trailing 18–24 to end of the first quarter.

Seldom-used UP players Chicco Briones and Cyril Gonzales led their team to break away at the half for a 44–32 lead. The Tigers trailed by as many as 29 points late in the fourth period, even as the Maroons rested their starters and allowed their bench to score 73 out of the team's total of 86 points.

Cabañero and Manaytay both finished with 14 points, with Pangilinan adding 13 to topscore for the Tigers.


 * FEU Tamaraws

The Growling Tigers swept FEU in their two-game elimination matchup with a 57–53 win to end their season on a high note. They took advantage of the Tamaraws' struggle to score in the opening minutes of the game and went on to lead in double-digits for multiple times in the match. With a fifteen-point, 44–29 lead in the third quarter, the Tigers fell prey to an FEU rally, with L-Jay Gonzales spearheading a 21–10 run that continued to the final period. His teammate Jorick Bautista hit a three-point shot to cap the rally and pull the Tamaraws to a single-possession deficit, under one minute left on the clock.

UST's point production became scarce that they had to rely on free throw conversions from Cabañero, Vince Ventulan, and Paul Manalang. Manalang, in particular, gave his team back their two-possession lead when he split his charities to pull the Tigers ahead at 57–53, with 16.9 seconds remaining.

Manaytay and Pangilinan finished the game in double-digits with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Cabañero managed to score only 8 points, on a 2-of-10 field goal.

With Faye sitting out, and eventually leaving the team, the Tigers were left to play their smaller centers and forwards, while they struggled at the post in scoring and defending. They were also suffering from the lack of a quality point guard to direct their offense. It was supposed to be better this year, as team captain Manalang was the only playmaker, prompting then-head coach Bal David to convert Cabañero to quarterbacking duties in Season 85. The arrival of Ivanne Calum was a welcome addition to relieve Manalang, but an injury to the veteran point guard in the offseason forced Calum to play extended minutes, and by the time the UAAP tournament commenced, he was already burned out.

Cabañero ended up carrying the team again, playing for more than thirty minutes per game. It was evident that the third-year guard had struggled physically during their second-round games, scoring under 10 points on two occasions, on a 3-of-15 and 2-of-10 shooting. Outside the trio of Cabañero, Manaytay, and Pangilinan, the rest of the team had to battle inconsistency in making their shots.

As the season prematurely ended for the Tigers, the team is now looking forward to Season 87, hoping the new recruits will be able to incorportate themselves into Jarencio's system.

UAAP statistics
Source: Imperium Technology