Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 29) — The University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons and the De La Salle University Green Archers will square off in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball finals.
The Fighting Maroons are tagged as the favorites in this matchup, having been in the finals in the last two seasons.
Not to be outdone, the Green Archers are more than hungry to bring the trophy back to their campus in Manila.
After dethroning the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles in the Final Four, UP is coming into this series brimming with confidence.
Meanwhile, La Salle is the hottest team in the UAAP right now as it rides on a nine-game winning streak.
Although this is just the first meeting between these two proud institutions in the championship round, a couple of interesting plots surround this explosive encounter.
Black and gold connection
Fighting Maroons team captain CJ Cansino and Green Archers veteran guard Mark Nonoy once shared the hardcourt donning the same jersey colors. The two helped the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers reach the Season 82 finals but fell short of capturing the crown after being swept by Ateneo.
Cansino and Nonoy left UST’s lair following the team’s controversial bubble training in Sorsogon during the peak of the pandemic in 2020. This led to the exodus of several Growling Tigers players with the former transferring to Diliman and the latter finding a new home in Taft Avenue.
Master and his students
UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde is one of the best tacticians in the country as of the moment.
The decorated mentor’s success in the juniors level with the National University Nazareth School, steering the squad to a remarkable sweep of Season 82, paved the way for him to land the Fighting Maroons coaching job.
With Monteverde at the helm, UP also got his high school players in Gerry Abadiano, Terrence Fortea, Janjan Felicilda, Harold Alarcon, and Reyland Torres in its fold, all of whom are key figures of the Fighting Maroons’ title quest this season.
Standing in their way is former teammate and La Salle star forward Kevin Quiambao, the presumptive Season 86 Most Valuable Player.
It will be exciting to see how Monteverde will create schemes to contain his former ward in this series.
The best-of-three championship affair begins on Nov. 29 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.
