15 hours Ago By Rob Andrew Dongiapon
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rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-1" );UST Tiger Cubs player Alfred Loreto gets another crack at basketball, but also another shot at life. After a successful brain surgery last January, the 19-year-old Loreto is back on the basketball court, hoping to rebound from lost time with the reigning UAAP champion UST in the 2025 NBTC National Finals.
For Loreto, returning to the team meant more than just a basketball revival; it also meant a new chapter in life“I’m super thankful for everyone, especially God, for this second chance at life,” Loreto told Rappler in Filipino. “Everyone in the team allowed me this second chance. They kept strengthening my character and made me realize how important life really is.
”Loreto, who plays center for UST, did not see action in the entirety of the UAAP Season 87, where the Tiger Cubs picked up their first juniors basketball title in 24 years. Last January 12, Loreto was rushed to the hospital due to severe headaches and vomiting before doctors diagnosed him with pituitary macroadenoma, a tumor that affects the pituitary gland. Less than a week later, he underwent brain surgery to take out the tumor, which was described as “like a little marble.
” “At the time, I was only focusing on my health because it is the only thing that would make me return to basketball,” the 6-foot-7 Loreto said. “[Everyone] was very supportive of me from the start, especially the team, and the management. It’s like they are my family here,” he added.
The Tiger Cubs launched a donation campaign for Loreto following his surgery for his rehabilitation and other miscellaneous expenses. Doctors then advised Loreto to rest his body for the next two months after the delicate operation. Nearly three months after the surgery, he was back on the court in the NBTC tournament.
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rapplerAds.displayAd( "mobile-middle-2" );Loreto admitted when he was in the hospital bed, he felt that a basketball comeback looked slim. But the team assured him he would be back competing with them once more.
“I really lost hope when I was in the hospital. I kept on thinking about my future, my career, and the lost chance to play basketball in the UAAP, but then again, the coaches kept on telling me to just focus on my health first, because when the time comes, they would eventually insert me back into the team,” he said. According to UST head coach Manu Inigo, the team rallied behind Loreto during their UAAP campaign, saying it was the best way to support and honor Loreto during his personal crisis.
“I told them that [the UAAP championship] was for everyone in our team, including Alfred. He was part of our journey to the championship, so it was our way to honor him and inspire him to return to the court,” Inigo said. Loreto is set to graduate from senior high school this year and will enter college in just a few months, bidding farewell to the team that has helped him develop as a basketball player and as a student.
After surviving such a health scare, his outlook on life has widened, but his basketball mentality remains the same — leave everything on the court or wherever he is needed. “My mentality now returned to what it was before the surgery. I’ve always wanted to give my all on the court,” Loreto said.
“Right now, I don’t know where I am headed, but wherever I go after high school, I know God has plans for me.” – Rappler.com.
