Tough road to glory

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REMEMBER 1996.

This was the lead I saw on a story carried by the Thomasian Courier, a quarterly magazine, a few days after the Santo Tomas Tigers pulled off one of the most dramatic finishes in UAAP history.
It got my attention because it was written at a time when the Tigers were plagued by injuries and sickness. In fact, they were at rock bottom with a 2-5 (win-loss) slate back then. Who would have expected UST to go all the way? The writer did. And miracle of miracles, the pontifical school won it all, defying the odds and making critics eat their words.
So I got to give it to coach Pido Jarencio, who never ran out of quotable quotes, for instilling the never-say-die spirit he got from his old Ginebra days. He also made a believer out of a lot of people, especially the cynical ones who kept on harping that University of the East would win it all after the Warriors topped three tournaments in the pre-season.
It was a reminder of an era dominated by the Tigers; the year when UST completed an amazing ‘four-peat’ feat.
Coincidentally, it was also my first year as a sportswriter for the Manila Times. I was just so lucky and blessed, a wide-eyed witness as history unfolded. I remember then UST coach Aric del Rosario with a hand in his pocket, holding his age-old rosary and praying to God for them to pull through. I remember the fans, a sea of mostly yellow flooding a stream of green, chanting their war cries. Most of all, I remember how everyone, from the students, officials and alumni never stopped believing. That’s just how you win a championship, keeping the faith.
And that’s how the Tigers did it. And so were the supporters who were there to cheer for their alma mater. They just never lost faith. So when UST won it again after a decade of waiting, flashes of the past came clicking back—the euphoria, the buzz, the post-game celebrations, the fire works, and the never-ending stories, mostly front-page material that hailed the Tigers as the champions.
So when the UAAP Press Corps, to which I belong, decided to hold its own awarding ceremony, it was a no-brainer that most of the awardees would come from the reigning champion.
Jarencio was the hands-down choice for coach of the year. He not only steered the Tigers to an improbable title conquest but he also showed he could be at par with the coaching genius of Norman Black of the Ateneo Blue Eagles. And that’s not taking away the recognition for Black—who happened to be one of the rare few who coached a team to a PBA grand slam—and some others like Adamson’s Leo Austria, UE’s Dindo Pumaren and National U’s Manny Dandan, who could’ve won it if they roared like the Tigers.
Also feted were Jojo Duncil (Mr. Clutch), Jervy Cruz (Defensive Player), Dylan Ababou (Sixth Man), Allan Evangelista (Special Senior), the UST managers and hardworking officials such as UST Institute of Physical Education and Athletics (IPEA) Director Fr. Ermito de Sagon, O.P., IPEA Asst. Director Felicitas Francisco and Athletic Moderator Mike Silbor. And to cap it off, John Lee Apil was honored with a posthumous award for heroism. He died last summer while saving two kids from electrocution.
The question now is can UST do a repeat? I guess it could as long as the Tigers do not forget the gems of the past. Good luck, Tigers.

By Joey Villar

Joey Villar got a degree in AB Journalism from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in the 1990’s. He is now a sportswriter for the Philippine Star.



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