I root for the UP Fighting Maroons in the UAAP, but my UAAP fandom actually predates my allegiance to Maroons basketball. I started watching UAAP basketball in the early ‘90s, and I began rooting for La Salle, starring Jun Limpot, Johnedel Cardel, and Tonyboy Espinosa, against the FEU Tamaraws led by Victor Pablo and Johnny Abarrientos. (I was young and stupid, I know, but Limpot was awesome back then, and this was before he turned into the Pinoy basketball antichrist; also, Espinosa was right up there with Johnny A. before all his injuries.)

A few years later, I was on the other side of the fence, whooping it up with Henry Ong’s three-pointers that made Jason Webb cry, Bal David’s clutch free throws before Elmer Lago missed those layups, and Edwin Bacani’s ballsy outside bombs.

I got interested in the Maroons right around the time Eric Altamirano, who was a key part in the school’s last UAAP basketball championship in 1986, came back to coach a team with promising recruits Paolo Mendoza, Ogie Gumatay, and Bryan Gahol. They fell short in the Final Four and Altamirano soon left the team to coach Purefoods in the PBA, and Nic Jorge took over coaching duties. The basketball program fell apart soon after, never fulfilling the promise of the Mendoza-Gumatay-Gahol trio.

But I got really hooked into the Maroons earlier this decade. They were a perpetually undermanned team, but the team. led by gunslinger Mike Bravo, competed each and every game. They fought so hard that you couldn’t help believing, and they won just enough to break your heart.

A lot of the credit for the foundation of those UP teams had to go to the coaching staff, who worked hard to prepare the team and get the most of the players’ abilities. The head coach of the team? Ryan “The Genius” Gregorio.
Needless to say, I am ecstatic that the UAAP is back, so I decided to break out the thumbs for the opening weekend:


To Kirk Long, whose new Brüno haircut was the single greatest thing about the opening weekend. Hey , anytime you can bleach your hair like a gay Austrian fashion reporter, you do it!

And it worked too, as Long shut down FEU star forward JR Cawaling during their game. Cawaling apparently found it difficult to defend himself against a man with a dildo. Long not only takes over as the new icon for the UAAP gay community after the departure of Chris Tiu, but he might also inspire Nico Salva to show up for next season’s opening wearing the full Lady Gaga getup.


To the UP Fighting Sucking Maroons. What the hell was that?! Did Coach Aboy Castro fall in a coma after the first quarter? Why did Mike Gamboa play heavy minutes when the NU Bulldogs were pressing all game? What was the thinking there? Was any thinking being done at all? “Hey, our opponents are playing pressure defense? Let’s keep our point guard who can’t see out of double teams and who doesn’t know how to pass and who turns the ball over all the time in the game!” Also, I can’t decide if Gamboa reminds me more of Noel “Ungga” Ayala or Dagul.

To Mark Barroca, the best point guard in the UAAP. Although we only caught glimpses in the Ateneo game because Coach Glenn Capacio decided to play him off the ball at shooting guard. Maybe if Capacio coached Alvin Patrimonio and Jerry Codinera at Purefoods, he would have played Alvin at shooting guard and Jerry at small forward, just to change things up.


To close-up shots of Mark Barroca in high-definition. That couldn’t have been pleasant. Maybe ABS-CBN should have waited a couple of years, until Barroca graduated, before rolling out their HD coverage?


To Paul Lee, the most exciting player in the UAAP apart from Barroca. I don’t know if he was born without any conscience, or if it was surgically removed before he hit puberty. He’s Bonbon Custodio 2.0. Let’s hope he stays away from bookies.


To the De La Salle Green Archers. They were just brutal against UE. Hey La Salle, you’re no fun to root against if you suck! So stop sucking!


To the UST-Adamson game, a thoroughly enjoyable game where I still don’t understand what the hell happened. I’ve seen inter-baranggay games played with more order and structure. Needless to say, we got a thriller of a game which came down to the last play.


To the quality of UAAP basketball in general. As excited as I am that the league is back, that was just terrible basketball. Apart from Ateneo-FEU, the rest of the games were sloppy affairs that were less telegenic than Mark Barroca. I’m glad the PBA finals are back on tonight.