For the first time in several years, the UAAP basketball league enters a new season without a clear-cut favorite. Major stars have moved on, championship cores have been reshuffled, and several teams are being forced to find new identities.
La Salle lost Mike Phillips a year after Kevin Quiambao. UP saw its "Maroon 5" of Gerry Abadiano, Harold Alarcon, Terrence Fortea, Reyland Torres, and Janjan Felicilda depart. UST lost Forthsky Padrigao and Nic Cabanero.
Adamson lost Cedrick Manzano. FEU is still dealing with the departure of Veejay Pre, who transferred to UP two seasons ago.
Ateneo suffered tragedy at an ill-fated training camp.
UE, meanwhile, moves on without Precious Momowei and Wello Lingolingo.
The turnover has left the league without an obvious front-runner. That uncertainty, however, has also created an opportunity for nearly every team in the field.
Here is how the teams stack up heading into Season 89.
UP Fighting Maroons: It's Veejay Pre's time
UP is among the teams embracing a new identity, with Pre now at the center of it.
Pre is arguably the biggest transfer in the UAAP over the past two seasons, and he is expected to become the main cog of the Fighting Maroons. He brings an elite post presence, solid pick-and-roll navigation, and versatility at the forward position.
Once touted as the next great power forward in the UAAP during his FEU days, Pre now gets his biggest opportunity yet as UP's go-to player.
He will join returning guard Rey Remogat and foreign student-athlete Francis Nnoruka as the pillars of the Maroons.
Remogat, meanwhile, enters his final UAAP season and will be tasked with providing veteran leadership to a largely revamped squad.
UP also adds several transferees who have completed their one-year residency, including James Payosing from San Beda, Elliot Dimaculangan, and Rainer Maga.
Rookie Sean Franco adds another young piece to the rotation.
For the Maroons to remain in contention, however, they will need significant leaps from Jacob Bayla, Chicco Briones, Miguel Yniguez, Gani Stevens, and Sean Alter.
UP has little hardware to show for its preparation compared with previous offseasons.
The Maroons were dethroned in the semifinals of the FilOil EcoOil Preseason Cup before bowing out in the quarterfinals of the Asian University Basketball League.
They did, however, tour and play in Canada, giving the team valuable time to build chemistry away from the pressure of Manila.
With its depth and talent, UP remains one of the favorites. The difference this season is that the Maroons are far from the only team with a legitimate shot at the championship.
De La Salle Green Archers: Does Jacob Cortez have one more magical run in him?
If UP has a new centerpiece, La Salle still has a proven one.
Cortez willed the Green Archers to another championship run last season, and nobody seemed capable of slowing him down late in Season 88.
During La Salle's Final Four run, Cortez averaged 15.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while shooting 45% from the field.
Now, the Green Archers need another magical season from Cortez because their biggest problem entering Season 89 is obvious: Phillips is gone.
Without the team's motor in the middle, La Salle has a massive hole to fill at center. Even if Cortez goes berserk again, replacing everything Phillips provided will be a difficult task.
Reinforcement Moses Mandiria Kulang will man the middle, while veterans Mason Amos and Luis Pablo provide much-needed stability.
The Green Archers will also look to make up for Phillips' departure through depth. Six-foot-7 Seven Gagate, Dominic Sarmiento, Lebron Jhames Daep, and Bonn Daja will join the rotation.
Vhoris Marasigan is expected to take on a bigger role as the team's lead wing alongside Earl Abadam. The two offer interchangeable pieces on the perimeter.
Then there is Joaquin Tovera, an 18-year-old guard who transferred from UP to La Salle this offseason.
The highly regarded prospect was named MVP of the FIBA U18 Asia Cup SEABA Qualifiers and could provide another offensive weapon for coach Topex Robinson.
La Salle may have lost its biggest piece, but the Green Archers still have enough firepower to make another serious run.
The question is whether that depth can compensate for the absence of Phillips.
UST Growling Tigers: Ripe for elusive UAAP championship
That question is also central to UST, although the Tigers enter the season with perhaps more momentum than most.
It has been 20 years since UST last won a UAAP men's basketball championship. This might be its best chance yet to end that drought.
The Tigers have arguably the league's best center in Collins Akowe, while versatile forwards Mark Llemit and Amiel Acido give them size and flexibility.
Gelo Crisostomo enters his fourth UAAP season, while Koji Buenaflor could be in line for a major sophomore leap.
But UST's biggest offseason story came from its newcomers.
The Tigers dug deep into their recruitment arsenal and loaded up on promising one-and-done talents.
They first added Donovan Sevilla, a former NCAA Division III standout who impressed as UST's starting point guard during the first AsiaBasket NSAC tournament in April.
Then came Landyn Jumawan, a sharpshooting forward who turned heads during the second NSAC tournament in August.
Just weeks before the season, UST also secured the commitment of Lorenzo Abellar out of Southern Utah. He is expected to strengthen the backcourt, the Tigers' thinnest position group.
Sevilla, rookie Kirk Cañete and Mur Alao will headline that rotation, which has been depleted by the departures of premier guards Padrigao and Kyle Paranada.
The Tigers also enter the season with preseason success behind them. UST won the NSAC College Campus Tour title and the Pinoyliga The Big Dance championship. It also finished second in the NSAC World Invitational, losing only to Fighting Eagles Nagoya, a Japan B.League team.
From top to bottom, the Tigers look as complete as they have in years. The pressure may not be as overwhelming as last season, but expectations are rising.
For a program that has waited two decades, UST has every reason to believe this could finally be its year.
FEU Tamaraws: Dark horse
While UST has built momentum, FEU could quietly emerge as the team nobody wants to face in the Final Four.
The Tamaraws have a promising blend of young talent and veterans, led by reigning MVP Janrey Pasaol.
Jorick Bautista, Jedric Daa, Kirby Mongcopa, Liam Salangsang, and Mo Konateh will support him, while Bautista enters his final UAAP season with one last opportunity to leave his mark on the Tamaraws.
Pasaol, meanwhile, has to prove that his MVP campaign was no fluke.
Together, Bautista and Pasaol continue FEU's tradition of developing elite guards.
The Tamaraws also retained UAAP Season 88 boys' basketball MVP Cabs Cabonillas, adding another exciting young piece to the core.
Since arriving at FEU, head coach Sean Chambers has emphasized player development.
After three years under his system, this could finally be the season when that investment pays off.
FEU missed the Final Four last season, but with the field wide open, the fourth spot is there for the taking.
The Tamaraws have the tools to shock everyone. Now they have to prove they can put them together.
NU Bulldogs: Not much to expect
FEU's rise would come at the expense of a team such as NU, which faces a much different challenge after losing the core that carried it to the Final Four last season.
Jake Figueroa, Jolo Manansala, Omar John Steve Nash Enriquez, and Mark Parks are all gone from the program, leaving Reinhard Jumamoy and Tebol Garcia with bigger responsibilities.
PJ Palacielo and Kenshin Padrones will once again anchor the frontcourt, joined by returning foreign reinforcement Mo Diasanna.
Head coach Jeff Napa faces the difficult task of replacing several major contributors while developing the next wave of Bulldogs.
The good news is that there is little pressure on NU compared with the teams expected to contend for the crown.
The Bulldogs may not be among the favorites, but they have enough pieces to make life difficult for anyone.
Adamson Soaring Falcons: How far can its backcourt depth go?
If NU is trying to rebuild, Adamson is betting that its depth can keep the Soaring Falcons competitive.
If there is one thing Adamson has in abundance, it is guards.
Monte Montebon, Matty Erolon, and Ray Allen Torres lead the pack, while high school standouts Jarl Artango and Mac Jedonia add even more depth to the backcourt.
Earl Medina will also be an important piece, while Mat Edding showed flashes during the offseason as another versatile weapon. John Anabo could also be in line for a bigger role.
The bigger question comes in the interior.
Nigerian center Jonah Precious will anchor the paint alongside AJ Fransman, who showed promise last season.
Adamson struggled badly in the FilOil Preseason Cup, going winless and exposing the gap between its current group and some of the league's more established teams.
Still, head coach Nash Racela has built enough guard depth to make the Falcons interesting.
Whether that strength can offset their questions inside could determine how far they go.
UE Red Warriors: Players have a chance to shock everyone
UE enters the season from an even lower starting point, but that could make the Red Warriors one of the more intriguing teams to watch.
The roster is filled with young talent, led by Jheremy Godoy, Xyrus Gemao, and Louie Bual.
Godoy helped the FEU-Diliman Baby Tamaraws win the UAAP Season 88 high school championship, while Gemao had a promising stint with the Mapua Red Robins.
Another FEU-Diliman product, Dexter Santos, also joins head coach Chris Gavina's squad.
UE also recruited JM Edoukou, the cousin of Gilas Pilipinas stalwart and former UAAP champion Ange Kouame.
Tope Lagat will be the team's go-to guy, but that still depends if the other young players turn out to be reliable scorers.
The Red Warriors went 0-14 last season, but that group is now largely gone. Precious Momowei, John Abate, Wello Lingolingo, and Nico Mulingtapang have all moved on.
That leaves UE with a clean slate.
The Red Warriors may not be expected to contend immediately, but with fewer expectations and a young group looking to establish itself, they have a chance to surprise teams that overlook them.
Ateneo Blue Eagles: Nothing to lose, so much to gain
If any team enters Season 89 with a completely different set of circumstances, it is Ateneo.
The Blue Eagles endured an unimaginable tragedy in June with the drowning deaths of Ateneo de Manila University players Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili. The aftermath also brought the end of the Tab Baldwin era, while Blue Eagles also missed overseas camps and offseason tournaments while dealing with the tragedy and its consequences.
They showed flashes of potential in the Pinoyliga The Big Dance but ultimately fell short against UST, the only UAAP opponent they faced in the tournament.
Now, Jared Bahay is expected to lead the young Blue Eagles alongside prized rookie Kieffer Alas, the son of interim head coach Louie Alas. Backup guard Ian Espinosa will be the team's captain.
Alas spent much of the past year training in the United States and showed plenty of promise during preseason games against non-UAAP competition. The bigger question is whether that production can translate to the UAAP.
Travis Roberts is another intriguing one-and-done prospect who can score from all three levels while providing serviceable defense.
EJ Kapihe and Sultan Baruwa will anchor the frontcourt, while returning players Andrew Bongo and Shawn Tuano provide versatility on the wing.
Ateneo remains the biggest question mark entering Season 89. But perhaps that uncertainty is also what makes the Blue Eagles interesting.
They have little to lose, plenty to learn and a chance to surprise everyone.
And that may be the defining theme of Season 89.
With defending powers reshuffling their rosters, emerging contenders making their move and several teams entering the season with something to prove, the
UAAP has rarely looked this difficult to predict.
There may be no obvious favorite. For the teams chasing the crown, that could make this anyone's championship to win.\
