Virus rains on Tigers’ parade
The moment the virus made an outbreak, all of those plans were canceled
What was supposed to be a banner year, turned into heartbreak as the novel coronavirus doomed the championship hopes of University of Santo Tomas in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 83 men’s basketball tournament.
Star forward CJ Cansino said the Growling Tigers were ready as they assembled all the crucial pieces to clinch the title this year until the outbreak of the deadly pandemic prompted the league to hold off the staging of Season 83 which was supposed to open this September. The Tigers made a strong run last year.
They finished the eliminations with an 8-6 mark to clinch the fourth seed in the stepladder semifinals.
They overcame third-seed Far Eastern University followed by back-to-back wins over second-seed University of the Philippines to book a dream duel with undefeated Ateneo de Manila University. But the Blue Eagles were too strong and too talented to be denied. They pounced hard on the young Tigers in their best-of-three title series to complete a historic 16-0 sweep of the tournament. Cansino said they are ready this year.
“In fact, we have scheduled a lot of training camps both here and abroad in preparation for Season 83,” said Cansino, the Season 80 Most Valuable Player of the UAAP juniors division, during his guesting on The Athletes Tribune late Saturday.
“But the moment the virus made an outbreak, all of those plans were canceled.”
The Tigers would enter the season with only three players out of the roster in guard Renzo Subido, forward Zach Huang and center Enrique Caunan.
Cansino said last season’s Most Valuable Player in Soulemane Chabi Yo would return as well as sophomore Rhenz Abando, Mark Nonoy and Sherwin Concepcion.
They also recruited Paul Manalang and Joshua Fontanilla, who will be groomed to fill the big void left by Subido in the backcourt.
The 21-year-old Fontanilla is coming off a fruitful stint with St. Clare College in the National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities while Manalang, the younger brother of University of the East stalwart Philip, played for National University in high school and got his feet wet with the Red Warriors before transferring to UST.
“Somebody should really fill the void and we’re glad that we recruited somebody to do it,”
Cansino said.