An open letter to the UP Fighting Maroons from a student, writer and a fan

Back in high school, I was never a fan of UAAP basketball. When I entered University of the Philippines, I never paid attention to our basketball team because we were not winning. Watching a game back then was just part of our PE requirements.

Things changed when, during my junior year, I became part of the UAAP Press Corps. You opened the season against a Jeron Teng-led La Salle. With over a minute left, you took the lead. I guess, for a not-so fan of yours, this was the first time that I felt the excitement of the game. It was very tense and I was hoping you would win but you succumbed to La Salle. Nonetheless, it was a very winnable game.

That was the story throughout that Season 75. Always almost but not quite. Coach Ricky Dandan was even quoted saying you were "one big man away from the Final Four" (non-verbatim) and I agreed. You were indeed. I was there when you finally won against UE. The ambiance inside the Araneta Coliseum was one of a kind. School spirit definitely hits during these kinds of events. It gave me chills. And although you finished with a 1-13 record, I was still hopeful that next season you will climb higher. I saw in your games that you could. I believed you would.

But you didn't. Instead, you finished 0-14. Despite the woeful record, the UP community continued to hope that maybe one of these days (or years), our basketball team will be able to make it into the Top 4. I guess the unwavering support of the UP community was apparent when we celebrated your lone win in the following season via a bonfire event at the Sunken Garden. We were proud with even just one win. We were so used to losing that we felt like champions after a single win. We were proud of you.

As JD Cagulangan made that trey in the winding moments of Game 3 earlier, I jumped out of my seat and screamed. All those years of futility and now we're here. I almost cried. Coach Ricky's words from the post-game interview 10 years ago encapsulated what I felt.

"This win is like sunshine in the dark days of torrential rains."

Indeed it is. And it's all thanks to all those years of futility that sparked the succeeding generations to strive for excellence. From Paul Desiderio "Mr. Atin To" up to the current crop of players. Everyone made this championship possible. We crawled from the ashes and now after 36 years, we finally got that trophy again.

And whatever happens in the succeeding years, be it wins or losses, we will continue to believe. We will continue to have faith that we can brave through years of struggle, we can endure years of mediocrity, and hope to still succeed in the end like how our UP men's basketball team did.

There will always be no way to go but up. Thank you UP Fighting Maroons!

—MGP, GMA News