Maroon vs Green

THERE’S a new bitter rivalry grabbing all the attention and selling out all of the tickets in men’s basketball. It’s not at all the iconic battle between Blue and Green—Ateneo de Manila vs De La Salle University—that we’ve all been used to. That will have to take a backseat for now.

The feud du jour in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) is relatively new, and it’s Maroon vs. Green—ironically the school colors of host school University of the Philippines (UP). Which makes the rivalry seem fated in a way.



The uneasy feels between the two schools is not as pronounced or as inst itutionalized as the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry. But it’s been brewing in the nether regions (like Taal Volcano?) for several seasons now. As they say in Filipino, “may hugot.

” UP, of course, is the upstart rival—with no dynasty to boast of or shiny championship trophies to flash. Its winning culture was instilled only recently, first by its former head coach, now Office of Athletics and Sports Development Director Bo Perasol, then ingrained and driven in by current head coach Goldwin Monteverde and coaching staff. De La Salle University has dynasties and a long tradition of winning in men’s basketball—both in the UAAP and in its former league the National Collegiate Association of the Philippines (NCAA).

It has 10 UAAP championships and five NCAA titles in its vault. But even just as the kid that came to play, the Fighting Maroons have inflicted some harm on the storied Archers. There was a stretch of time when UP had La Salle’s number, if I’m not mistaken, all of Season 81 and 82.

Most memorable win for UP during that period, and frustration on La Salle’s part, was that game where Juan Gomez de Liaño’s booming triple, executed with a steal on a sprained ankle, put UP ahead in the dying seconds to win, 72-71. Another “hugot” game was the UAAP Season 84 men’s Final Four where the Fighting Maroons pulled the rug from under the Green Archers. Ahead by double digits, UP pressed and scored and turned the tables on DLSU in the end game, frustrating them in their bid to get into the Finals to face Ateneo.

After that experience, the Archers voswed “never again.” The Green Archers did not immediately get to avenge that painful loss, but came Season 86, the gleam in the Green Archers’ eyes was different, and unmistakable. Playing under new head coach Topex Robinson, the Men In Green played with purpose, amazing teamwork and swag.

Although the Fighting Maroons still had their number in the first round, it was the Green Archers’ turn to ask “who’s your Daddy” in the second. From that time on, the Archers never let go. And although the Maroons were the top seed that season, it was the Archers who would prove triumphant in the end.

Leading by seven with eight minutes left in Game 3 of the Finals, Kevin Quiambao unleashed a triple and set the stage for a barrage of points that the Maroons could not answer. Finally, after seven long years, the basketball crown was back at Taft. UP had another bridesmaid finish at 69-73.

A painful, not impossible, still surmountable lead had time not run out. It was a painful wound that would fester all through the new season. So here we are in another Maroon vs.

Green predicament, with new hostilities set to begin December 8 at the Araneta Coliseum. The Green Archers swept the Fighting Maroons in the eliminations, but UP fans and Coach Topex himself said UP did not have a complete line-up both times. DLSU has been strong and masterful all season long, hardly missing a step except for those two times when it lost to University of the East and National University.

UP is still looking for consistency and a steady hand at the get-go. But it has shown it can summon its old power and impose its will on the situation with a refuse-to-lose attitude. One thing’s sure.

The UP-DLSU Finals 2.0 is going to be full of drama, action and grudges. Meanwhile, in a parallel universe, another UP-DLSU basketball finals is happening in the PG Flex Linoleum Invitational Tournament 2024 Quintana Cup on December 5.

That’s where next year’s must-watch talents—Jacob Cortez, Kean Baclaan, Mason Amos, Dominic Sarmiento, Luis Pablo for La Salle and Rhey Remogat, Miguel Yñiguez, Josh Coronel, Seven Gagate, LA Andres for UP—are making waves. Maroon and Green is the color combo of the season! Tessa Jazmines is one of the first women sportswriters in the country who ventured into the then still exclusively male profession in the 70’s. She joined the Business Mirror in August 2006 and writes about various sports and their nuances.

A journalism graduate with a masters in communication from the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication, she teaches public relations and sports writing, also at UP, and runs her own PR company, Larc&Asset PR..