Championship or bust: Nic Cabañero shoots for UAAP title in UST farewell

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'All I want for my final year is to win a championship,' says Nic Cabañero as he hopes to bid UST goodbye in style by leading the Tigers to a long-awaited UAAP crown

MANILA, Philippines – No less than a UAAP championship will satisfy Nic Cabañero in his final run with UST. 

On Monday, September 15, the graduating star declared that his final UAAP year will be dedicated to delivering a championship to the Growling Tigers.

“All I want for my final year is to win a championship,” Cabañero said in Filipino during the UAAP Season 88 collegiate basketball press conference at the Gloria Maris Restaurant in San Juan. “We will just have to do our best, especially since everyone also wants to win.”

Cabañero has been with UST since 2021, enduring some of the worst years of the program, including a 6-36 stretch during his first three years with the Tigers. 

However, last year saw a different turn as Cabañero led UST to its first Final Four appearance in five years. 

Cabañero also earned a spot in the Mythical Team after averaging 16.3 points per game. 

With a Final Four experience under his belt, the bulky guard does not want to let his final shot at a UAAP title slide. 

“This is my last year so I hope we can prepare well in every game, because everyone wants to get the championship too,” he said. “But for me, I think we can accomplish it.”

Cabañero also credited the growth of the team to head coach Pido Jarencio, who will be in his third year with the Tigers since returning to the school in 2023. 

“Coach Pido has been guiding us well throughout the offseason in our other leagues and abroad when we train,” Cabañero said. “He has been a big part of what we are building in UST, and even he also is eager to win the title.”

The team went to South Korea last month for a two-week training camp, going up against other university teams and some Korean Basketball League squads. 

For Cabañero, it was a good test for the team as the Tigers further enhanced their chemistry ahead of Season 88.

“Our chemistry has been good, especially since some of these guys have been with us since last year, so we have already created a bond.”

Aside from Cabañero, his backcourt partner, Forthsky Padrigao, will also be playing in the UAAP for the last time.

Padrigao was one of UST’s biggest recruits since it secured the backing of San Miguel Corporation for its basketball program. 

The team will also introduce former UAAP high school basketball MVP Collins Akowe in the collegiate division after the 6-foot-10 center transferred from NU to UST for college. 

UST will open its season at its own turf, playing at the university’s Quadricentennial Pavilion on Sunday, September 21, against the defending champions UP Fighting Maroons. – Rappler.com