Generational talent: A timely lookback at NU’s HS basketball champion teams

MANILA, Philippines – At the end of the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball elimination round, the NU Bulldogs finished as the top seed for the first time in the Final Four era — a remarkable, steady rise for a perennial contender still searching for its first championship in 11 years.

Coming in second are the UP Fighting Maroons, the reigning men’s basketball champions now on their seventh straight Final Four appearance and gunning for title No. 3 in four short years after having only one since 1986.

A year before UP’s most recent championship, the La Salle Green Archers ruled the roost as the best team in UAAP men’s basketball and are back for redemption this Season 88 Final Four after losing its back-to-back title bid against the Fighting Maroons.

What do all these teams have in common other than being the standards of UAAP excellence in the 2020s? They can all trace their roots back to the 2019-2020 iterations of the NU Bullpups — in hindsight, one of the greatest collections of high school talent in Philippine basketball history.

Before the Season 88 Final Four kicks off, take a look back at the core members of that back-to-back champion team in seasons 81 and 82 and how they have continued to influence the rise of collegiate contenders to this very day.

Coach Goldwin Monteverde

Starting with the architect and the proverbial head of the snake, head coach Goldwin Monteverde seamlessly carried his golden touch from high school to the collegiate scene after masterminding UP’s Season 84 and Season 87 title-winning teams across four straight finals appearances.

Despite his laid-back and soft-spoken ways, Monteverde continues to spark fires matched by few other mentors since first finding his mojo with the Bullpups in 2019.

Carl Tamayo

Where Monteverde goes, his boys follow. That is how in 2022, UP had the singular pleasure of fielding Carl Tamayo, a clear-cut generational prospect who helped the Fighting Maroons break their aforementioned 36-year UAAP title drought even as a rookie.

After averaging 13.1 points and 7.3 rebounds on the way to a UAAP championship and Rookie of the Year award, Tamayo led UP to a second straight finals berth in Season 85 before quickly moving on to greener pastures as an import in the Japan B. League, and eventually, the Korean Basketball League (KBL).

Today, Tamayo is still thriving in the KBL and remains one of the top up-and-coming stars of the booming Gilas Pilipinas program.

Kevin Quiambao

Now known as one of the greatest players in UAAP history, Kevin Quiambao took the road less taken in Season 85 after joining La Salle under head coach Topex Robinson.

In just his sophomore year in Season 86, the triple-double machine averaged 16.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.9 steals, and won his first of two straight MVP awards, marking the first time a Filipino player won the top UAAP individual award since Kiefer Ravena in 2015.

After leading La Salle to its first title since 2016 that year and another finals appearance the season after, Quiambao — like Tamayo — quickly flourished as an Asian quota import in the KBL and is also firmly entrenched as one of Gilas’ future stars.

Steve Nash Enriquez

Unlike Tamayo and Quiambao who carved their place in UAAP lore with other teams, Steve Nash Enriquez stayed loyal to the NU cause and stuck with the Bulldogs through thick or thin.

Five years removed from his last UAAP championship, the crafty floor general now stands on the precipice of arguably his best shot at a maiden collegiate title as he facilitates head coach Jeff Napa’s offense for the likes of Jake Figueroa, Omar John, and Paul Francisco.

The inseparable guard rotation

Harold Alarcon. Gerry Abadiano. Terrence Fortea.

For seven straight years, these standout guards have stayed on the same roster and remained instrumental for their teams’ title runs both in high school with NU and in college with UP.

Ever the streaky shot-makers, Alarcon, Abadiano, and Fortea have continuously taken turns catching fire on offense and having one another’s backs when some shots aren’t falling their way.

Monteverde’s lieutenants through and through, the trio now gears up for one last dance in Season 88 — one last shot at winning gold for Coach Gold.

Honorable mentions

Under varying roles, other NU high school champions have also made their mark with other teams, both in the UAAP and NCAA, proving that the 2019-20 Bullpups were just on a class of their own in terms of talent.

Pao Javillonar was an integral part of the NCAA’s Letran Knights that completed a rare title three-peat from 2019 to 2023. Today, he continues to hone his craft and stengthen his frame in the PBA with the Converge FiberXers.

Reyland Torres and Janjan Felicilda stayed with NU in Season 84 before also rejoining Monteverde in UP in Seasons 86 and beyond, eventually solidifying their spots as important bench players with the Fighting Maroons.

Cyril Gonzales cracked the UP roster in seasons 85 and 86 before deciding to expand his game with Mapua in the NCAA. Redshirting with the Cardinals in their historic Season 100 title run in 2024, Gonzales quickly earned major minutes this Season 101 as Mapua settled for a quarterfinals finish.

Aaron Buensalida and Nat Tulabut also donned the Letran colors after their time in NU high school and continue to be key rotation pieces today as the Knights marked their Final Four return in Season 101 after a two-year lull. – Rappler.com