Will UST wait for next year?

MANILA, Philippines – Break out the drums, roll out of the cheers for the UAAP is here. A long time ago, it was the “other league” where few watched but whose excellence was unquestioned.

The UST Glowing Goldies ruled UAAP, the intercollegiate and even the National Open in the early 1950s. Then Baby Dalupan’s UE juggernaut came and later Turo Valenzona’s FEU squad ruled the roost, leaving UST with memories.

In the last 35 years, UST has collected more heartbreaks than trophies, and the near-misses make one wince that not even Aric del Rosario’s four titles are enough to wipe away.

Two came in 1979 and 1980 when Santo Tomas was about to benefit a long buildup under coach Rogelio Serafico.

Serafico had assembled UST’s strongest team since the Bogs Adornado years in the late 1960s. He had three cagers who shot a combined average of 60 points in every game.

They were Ed Cordero, a 6-foot-4 recruit from St Anthony’s who was deadly from afar, Edmund Yee a 6-foot-1 jump shooting find from commerce in the intramurals and Frank Natividad, a 5-foot-10 engineering student who passed the tryouts.

The Goldies began glowing as it won game after game in the then double-round eliminations. If one of trio was off, its sixth man, Francisco Maristela, shifty Julius Jongko and point guard Alex Catly would step in. Their centers were Cesar Calayag, 6-foot-6 and Luis Cu, 6-foot-2.

“This was a result of a three-year buildup by coach Serafico. He was good in motivating his players and a ‘friend’ to his players,” said Yee, now a Ford Motors executive, in a private message on Facebook.

Serafico, a smiling man with a mustache, was nicknamed “Rod Navarro” in campus as he had the actor’s swagger shown to great effect in a TV ad about an electric fan. His optimism, which some called “yabang” was infectious.

With his Three Musketeers, Serafico was set to wipe away the controversial shared UAAP championship with UE in 1968. In that match, UE coach Baby Dalupan did not send his starting five, hobbled by fouls, out to the answer the second half, where they were trailing UST, 51-40. Dalupan waited for Serafico to show his men first. Both did not budge even as the crowd roared for a decision. The UAAP Board decided both teams should share the title. .

In 1979, the defending champs UE Warriors lost their cool off-guard Alex Tan and slotman, Bing del Rosario, to graduation But Rudy Distrito remained as their spitfire. FEU had the muscular American Anthony Williams, who mocked double teams and clutch-shooting Joel Valle. The Tams’ mentor was equally formidable: Arturo Valenzona, the national coach.

There were believers. Noel Albano, sports editor of the UST campus weekly The Varsitarian at that time, said in a phone interview :”You could see this team was different. In their 5 to 7 pm practices they shot and moved well. But they lacked a scoring center.”

After the UST Glowing Goldies overcame the UE Warriors as the second round was ending, the sweet-shooting Cordero got sick. The wind left UST’s sails as Williams barreled through UST.

Serafico remained hopeful for the 1980 season. He had almost the same players, especially Cordero, but not Yee and Natividad. It became a two-team race between FEU and UST.

On Friday, two days before the showdown with FEU at the end of the second round, I went to the UST gym. Serafico told me:” O, ayos na. I will use my big men to wear down Williams and we will have a great fight,” he explained enthusiastically.

Everything happened as Serafico said. With 24 seconds left, Edgar Bilasano dribbled the ball. UST was a point behind FEU. Cordero was guarded and silence enveloped Loyola Stadium until Bilasano made a hurried pass which was recovered by an FEU player until time ran out. At the dugout, Serafico said little to reporters.

Serafico’s replacement, former football and cage star Eddie Pacheco, lasted a little over a year. Charlie Badion, the famed Bad Boy of Basketball of the late 1950s, took over in 1984. Badion led UST to the finals twice but the Goldies were stopped each time by UE’s Allan Caidic, whose handsome looks made some UST girls cheer for the enemy.

Aric del Rosario’s four-peat from 1993 ended decades of frustration And Pido Jarencio added one more in 2006 before he left following Aljon Mariano’s self-destruction in Game 3 of the UAAP title series vs La Salle. READ: Jeric Teng Believes Tigers Can Reach Finals, Hopes For DLSU-UST Rematch

Will it be a year of hope or another wintry season for UST? – Rappler.com