- Woody Co (9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.4 steals)
- Martin Reyes (9.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists)
- Magi Sison (11.9 points, 10 rebounds, 2.1 blocks)
Win/Loss Records
- Season 73: 0-14 (8th)
- Season 72: 3-11 (8th)
- Season 71: 3-11 (6th)
Key Stats
- Last in the league in scoring (60.85 ppg)
- Last in the league in points allowed (74.31 ppg)
- Last in the league in shooting (35.36 FG%, 22.93 3P%, 55.7 FT%)
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| Neither Boyet Fernandez (left) nor Aboy Castro could get UP going in S73 (photo source) |
Season in a Snapshot
The UP Fighting Maroons came into Season 73 with high expectations; some analysts (ok, that was me) even had them returning to the Final Four. Such hype stemmed from several factors: the addition of Fil-Am Mike Silungan, whom many saw as the final piece in the puzzle, a veteran, graduating class, and an explosive point guard recruit in Joshua Saret.
Instead, UP was still UP, relying too much on triples, unable to play defense, and with a complete lack of an interior game. Things went from bad to worse when school officials made the move to fire Aboy Castro and replace him with Boyet Fernandez, just 2 games into the season, in an attempt to salvage things. The move barely registered, based on the team's record, and coupled with a series of injuries (Woody Co, Mark Lopez) and suspensions (Alvin Padilla), the Maroons went winless for the second time in just five years.
Team Needs
- Big men who play like big men, post up, defend the rim
- More consistent perimeter shooting
- Pass-first point guard
- Clearly defined roles for players like Alvin Padilla and Mike Silungan
Outlook
The Maroons decided not to bring back Fernandez, electing instead to turn the team over to Ricky Dandan, who was most recently the basketball program director at the other school on Katipunan, Ateneo. Dandan has been given 3 years to turn around the program, but there's really no way this squad can get any worse next season, having hit rock bottom.
While Dandan's strength is probably in recruiting, Castro was no slouch in this department and we'll see some of his moves pay off next season, even with his departure. It will be during the game when Dandan will have to distinguish himself. Will his five on the floor react better? Play better defense? Make smarter decisions? Will they be better prepared? Will they run a less vanilla offense? For the Maroons to even register next season, the answer to most of those questions had better be a "yes."
Projected Recruits
- Ifeanyi "Alinko" Chinweizu Mbah, 6'9" Nigerian center.
- Robby Wierzba, 6'2" point guard from the USA
- Raul Suyod, 6'4" power forward transferee from West Negros College
- Gelo Monteclaro, guard transferee from College of Saint Benilde
- Mike Gamboa, point guard recruit from Ateneo High School, returning after a leave of absence from the team. Also rumored to return from an L.O.A. from last season are gunner Migs De Asis and big man Andrew Marfori
to do an autopsy is to assume that something is dead, right? i wonder what would the resurrected UP be like (after the great "reformat" despite the big budget cuts that UP has over the past few months.
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