IN just two days, the 79th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) growls out of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) campus—the site of its Opening Ceremony this time around.
Collegiate sports enthusiasts will be like crocuses rising out of the slush on the first day of spring. The waiting time has been way too long, especially for the basketball crowd. The hoops season, which finished last December, placed UAAP basketball fans in a nine-month limbo. Now, it is time to once again bring out those drums and yells, the school jackets and tees, the tarps and banners that have the hearts and spirit of their faithful woven into their very fabric.
Yes, it’s the good old UAAP come back to life. But no, it’s not the good old UAAP come back to life. Apart from the calendar change from a July to September opening (that started in Season 78, actually), the 79th UAAP Season with the “Dare To Dream” theme is going to have a few subtle changes and a few non-changes that collegiate sports fans just have to get used to.
What are these?
- First, write it down as UAAP Season LXXIX, not UAAP Season 79. This is what the host school wants on UAAP signages this year. Classic, à la Super Bowl. Media on social media are having second thoughts, though. It will take longer and will take up more characters for us to tweet (on Twitter), said some. I failed my early math when we were on Roman numerals, said another.
- This season saw the first UAAP presscon held in a hotel. All UAAP presscons in recent memory were held at the ABS-CBN building or at Gloria Maris. This one was held in the ballroom of the Novotel Hotel.
- This is the first time that six courtside reporters are all making a comeback to ABS-CBN’s UAAP coverage. Stef Monce of Adamson University, Ganiel Krishnan of Far Eastern University, Ira Pablo of National University, Paui Versos of University of the East, Niña Alvia of the University of the Philippines and Angelique Manto of the University of Santo Tomas are all holdovers from last year. The two new ones are Denice Binsay for Ateneo de Manila and Bea Escudero for De La Salle University. Quite an accomplished bunch, the Season 78 Courtside beauties. One of them, Ganiel Krishnan, is the reigning Mutya ng Pilipinas-Asia Pacific International.
- This season’s Opening Ceremony will be quite different. It will be held on the grounds of the historic Royal and Pontifical University. Sure, Ateneo de Manila did an opening in 2010 outside of the traditional playing arenas of Araneta Coliseum and the Mall of Asia Arena. But UST, which has moved the opening into campus grounds, will enable nonstudents and alumni to experience the “rite of passage” that every new student undergoes at the university. All guests will pass through the Arc of the Centuries, located at the university entrance along España Boulevard. Campus superstition has it that all new students have to pass through that arc on their first day at UST. Once in, they should never pass through it to leave UST; otherwise, they will not graduate on time or at all.
- The Opening Ceremony will also be unique because—apart from it not having any first-day games—it will showcase a new UAAP sport that will be introduced as an exhibition sport. The UAAP introduced the Cheer Dance Competition in 1994. Then it introduced the Street Dance competition in 2010. Now, Dance Sport is the newest spectator sport that will wow fans of the collegiate sports league. Cha-cha-cha!
- This is also the first time that a foreign coach, who is concurrently head coach of the Philippine National Team, is coaching in the UAAP. That’s Coach Tab Baldwin, head coach of both Gilas Pilipinas and the Ateneo Blue Eagles. In previous years, the Basketball Coaches of the Philippines (BCAP) always opposed the presence of foreign coaches in the league. That changed when Norman Black, who is married to a Filipina, coached in 2005. So, welcome to the UAAP, Coach Tab.
- There’s a new rule concerning teams that accomplish a sweep. These lucky ones will no longer have a thrice-to-beat advantage over their challengers. Now, first- and second-ranked teams will go through a best-of-three series with only a twice-to-beat advantage, sweep or no sweep.
- For the first time, UAAP head coaches unanimously picked De La Salle as the team to beat in this year’s basketball tournament.
- The school hymns will no longer be played after the games, as was the usual. The teams and their followers will sing their school songs before the games begin. This is to give all teams the chance to sing with hope and anticipation, instead of some teams singing with their heads hung low after each defeat.
- There are eight competing teams in the UAAP, but this year, there will be a movement called One UAAP. Watch for it, said Rev. Fr. Ermita de Sagon, UAAP president. Watch for it!
Now, let the games begin!
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DE LA SALLE alumni are getting ready for BRAFE 11 Golf, a tournament they are organizing in memory of their late, beloved Bro. Rafael “BRAFE” Donato, FSC, for the benefit of the Foundation for Sharing A La Sallian Education. It’s going to be held at Eagleridge Golf and Country Club on October 3. (Game Format: System 36; Courses: Norman, Faldo and Aioki. Those interested can register online at https://event.akubo.com/mypublic_page.php?id=BV9M or buy tickets directly from Marites Santos at (02) 5246549 and (0928) 322-4217. Direct bank deposits for tournament fee can be paid to FOUNDATION FOR SHARING LASALLIAN EDUCATION (FSLE) Account Number : 642-7642-02119-9.