2015 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball
UAAP Season 78 runner-up
Record
Elims rank #1
Final rank#2
2015 record13–5 (11–3 elims)
Head coachBong dela Cruz (2nd season)
Assistant coachesRene Baena
Senen Dueñas
CaptainKevin Ferrer (5th season)

The 2015 UST Growling Tigers men's basketball team represented University of Santo Tomas in the 78th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. The men's basketball tournament for the school year 2015-16 began on September 5, 2015 and the host school for the season was the University of the Philippines.[1]

UST made it back to the playoffs after getting eliminated in Season 77. They finished the double round-robin eliminations at first place with 11 wins against 3 losses. The FEU Tamaraws had the same win–loss record but were ranked lower on an inferior -10 quotient. The last time that the Tigers got the top seed was in 1995 when they won their third straight championship. It was also the last time that they won as many as 11 games at the end of eliminations in a season.[2]

They had a twice-to-beat advantage over their Final Four opponent and defending champions, the NU Bulldogs who they defeated in one game to advance to the Finals against FEU. NU has been the Tigers' semifinal opponent for the third time in the last four years. UST became the fifth team in UAAP history to reach the Finals after missing the Final Four playoffs in the previous season.[3][4]

In Game Two of the Finals series, Kevin Ferrer's 24 points in the third quarter broke the UAAP record for most points scored in a period. He tied his career-high of 29 points in their 62–56 win over FEU to extend the series to a deciding Game Three. In that game, UST was also able to limit the Tamaraws to their lowest scoring output, as they have not scored lower than 60 points in the season. FEU won the series in three games, ending a decade-long wait to claim their 20th men's basketball championship. The Tigers who had faced FEU in the Finals for the first time since 1979 won both games against them in the elimination rounds.[5][6]

UST recorded the most three point shots made in the season with 89 for a league-best 31% field goal percentage. They also held the highest free throw conversion of 68.4% among all teams.

Graduating players Ferrer and Ed Daquioag were included in the Mythical team selection during the presentation of awards. Ferrer was chosen back-to-back Player of the Week by the UAAP Press Corps for the duration of September 23–27 and on the week of September 30-October 4, while Daquioag received the citation for the period of September 9–13.[7][8][9]

Roster

UST Growling Tigers roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Height Year High School
SG 5 Philippines Janus Kyle Christian Suarez Injured 6'2" (1.88m) 2nd Ateneo de Manila
PG 6 Canada Sheak Jamil Sheriff, Jr. 5'9" (1.75m) 4th Loyola Catholic Secondary School
PF 7 Philippines Kevin Ferrer (C) 6'4" (1.93m) 5th University of Santo Tomas
SG 8 Philippines Eduardo Daquioag, Jr. 6'1" (1.85m) 5th RTU Laboratory High School
SG 9 Philippines Dean Marvin Lee 5'8" (1.73m) 1st Far Eastern University–Diliman
PG 10 Philippines Osama Said Abdurasad 5'10" (1.78m) 1st Kaunlaran High School
C 11 Philippines Enrique Caunan, Jr. 6'5" (1.96m) 1st Colegio de San Juan de Letran
PG 12 Philippines Janrey Garrido 5'6" (1.68m) 2nd Hope Christian High School
SF 13 Philippines Zachary Lance Eden Huang 6'4" (1.93m) 1st Sacred Heart School–Ateneo de Cebu
SF 14 Philippines Mario Emmanuel Bonleon, Jr. 6'3" (1.91m) 1st La Salle Greenhills
C 15 Philippines Jeepy Faundo 6'6" (1.98m) 3rd José Rizal University
PF 16 Philippines Justin Arana 6'5" (1.96m) 1st Basud National High School
PG 17 Philippines Henri Lorenzo Subido Injured 5'9" (1.75m) 2nd De La Salle Santiago Zobel School
SF 18 Philippines Louie Philippe Vigil 6'3" (1.91m) 4th José Rizal University
PF 19 Philippines Kent Jefferson Lao 6'4" (1.93m) 4th Saint Stephen's High School
C 20 Cameroon Karim Abdul 6'6" (1.98m) 5th Sta. Clara International Academy
Head coach
  • Philippines Segundo dela Cruz, III
Assistant coach(es)
Strength & conditioning coach(es)
  • Emmanuel Calipes
  • Kris Anthony Agarao
Team manager
  • Kenneth Causon
  • Eduardo Villanueva, Jr.
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured Injured

Depth chart

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2 Bench 3
C Abdul Faundo Caunan
PF Ferrer Lao Arana
SF Vigil Bonleon Huang
SG Daquioag Lee Suarez
PG Sheriff Subido Garrido Abdurasad

Roster changes

Subtractions

Pos. No. Nat. Player Height Year High school Notes
SF5PhilippinesKim Kaizen Lo6' 1"5thSt. Jude Catholic SchoolGraduated
PG9PhilippinesLevi dela Cruz, II5' 7"2ndNazareth School of National UniversityTransferred to Jose Maria College
SF10PhilippinesAljon Mariano6' 3"5thSan Beda College–RizalGraduated
SF11PhilippinesRegie Boy Basibas6' 3"2ndArellano University High SchoolOut due to groin injury
PF12PhilippinesJon Cornelius Macasaet6' 3"3rdSan Sebastian College-RecoletosOut due to ACL injury
C13PhilippinesPaulo Lorenzo Pe6' 4"5thAteneo de ManilaGraduated
PF14PhilippinesRaymart Angelo Sablan6' 4"2ndUP Integrated SchoolTransferred to University of the Philippines
SF16PhilippinesAlfren Gayosa6' 2"2ndSan Sebastian College-RecoletosTransferred to San Sebastian College-Recoletos

Additions

Pos. No. Nat. Player Height Year High school Notes
SG5PhilippinesJanus Kyle Christian Suarez6' 2"2ndAteneo de ManilaTransferred from University of the Philippines
SG9PhilippinesDean Marvin Lee5' 8"1stFar Eastern University–DilimanRookie
PG10PhilippinesOsama Said Abdurasad5' 10"1stKaunlaran High SchoolRookie
C11PhilippinesEnrique Caunan, Jr.6' 5"1stColegio de San Juan de LetranRookie
PG12PhilippinesJanrey Garrido5' 6"2ndHope Christian High SchoolReturning from Season 75
SF13PhilippinesZachary Lance Eden Huang6' 4"1stSacred Heart School–Ateneo de CebuRookie
SF14PhilippinesMario Emmanuel Bonleon, Jr.6' 3"1stLa Salle GreenhillsPromoted from Team B
PF16PhilippinesJustin Arana6' 5"1stBasud National High SchoolRookie

Recruiting class

Name Pos. Height High school Hometown Commit date
Mario BonleonSF6' 3"La Salle GreenhillsDavao City10 Jul 2013
2013 National Basketball Training Center Top 30 player
Marvin LeeSG5' 8"Far Eastern University–DilimanAntipolo25 Apr 2015
2015 National Basketball Training Center Top 30 player
Zachary HuangSF6' 4"Sacred Heart School–Ateneo de CebuCebu City9 Mar 2015
2015 NBTC rank: N/A (Division 1 champion)
Sources: 12345

Coaching staff

Estong Ballesteros, the Growling Tigers' assistant coach for offense and trainer has resigned from his post. He had informed head coach Bong dela Cruz of his decision to concentrate on coaching the Philippine National Police basketball team in the MBL and as deputy to Lawrence Chongson at Tanduay in the PBA D-League.[10]

Rene Baena was hired to replace Ballesteros. The veteran coach who was a member of UST's track and field team was an assistant coach of the Adamson Baby Falcons juniors' basketball team. He has coached the juniors teams of La Salle Greenhills, Ateneo U13, and the San Beda Red Cubs in the past. He has also served as an assistant coach of the UE Red Warriors team that made it to the UAAP Finals in 2009.[11]

Four-time Philippine Basketball Association MVP Alvin Patrimonio has also come on board as consultant and trainer of the team's big men.[12]

Injuries

Forwards Joco Macaseat and Regie Boy Basibas were excluded from the roster with both suffering from year-long injuries. Macasaet tore his ACL while lifting weights in the offseason, while Basibas had some issues with his groin.[13][14]

Karim Abdul, Louie Vigil, and Kyle Suarez also fell to various injures in the summer, but all three were able to play in the UAAP. Abdul underwent surgery on his left knee in April to have his bone spurs removed. Vigil failed to suit for the Tigers in the Filoil Flying V tournament as he got sidelined by a hamstring injury, and while Suarez was able to play after recovering from an ACL injury in December, he reinjured it during a game against the De La Salle Green Archers in the first round.[15][16][17]

Mario Bonleon and Renzo Subido also missed games during the season. Bonleon hurt his finger during practice and was not able to play against the Adamson Falcons in the first round, while Subido also had an ACL injury before their Finals series with FEU.[18]

Schedule and results

Preseason tournaments

Preseason game log
2015 Filoil Flying V Hanes Premier Cup: 4–4
Game Date • TimeOpponentResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
1 Apr 25 • 2:00 pm UE Red Warriors L 59–60 0–1 Bonleon (17) Filoil Flying V Arena
San Juan
2 Apr 29 • 5:00 pm Mapúa Cardinals W 78–59 1–1 Bonleon (22) Filoil Flying V Arena
San Juan
3 May 2 • 5:00 pm San Beda Red Lions L 64–74 1–2 Daquioag (29) Filoil Flying V Arena
San Juan
4 May 20 • 3:15 pm UP Fighting Maroons W 76–72 2–2 Ferrer (19) Filoil Flying V Arena
San Juan
5 May 23 • 3:15 pm CEU Scorpions L 77–82 2–3 Daquioag (34) Filoil Flying V Arena
San Juan
6 May 27 • 11:45 am Lyceum Pirates W 72–66 3–3 Daquioag (16) Filoil Flying V Arena
San Juan
7 Jun 3 • 1:30 pm SWU Cobras W 66–59 4–3 Daquioag (22) Filoil Flying V Arena
San Juan
8 Jun 6 • 5:00 pm De La Salle Green Archers L 82–84 4–4 Daquioag (20) Filoil Flying V Arena
San Juan
21st Fr. Martin Cup Summer basketball tournament: 5–2
Game Date • TimeOpponentResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
1[lower-alpha 1] May 18 Letran Knights W 84–82OT 1–0 Magno (26) St. Placid Gym
Manila
2 May 19 JRU Heavy Bombers L 66–93 1–1 St. Placid Gym
Manila
3 May 26 NU Bulldogs W 70–55 2–1 Bonleon (17) St. Placid Gym
Manila
4 Jun 2 Enderun Colleges Titans W 75–72 3–1 Sheriff (13) St. Placid Gym
Manila
5 Jun 8 Arellano Chiefs
Quarterfinal round		 W 73–68 4–1 Arellano Gym
Manila
6 Jun 15 San Beda Red Lions
Semifinal round		 W 75–72 5–1 Lao (22) Arellano Gym
Manila
7 Jun 17 JRU Heavy Bonbers
Championship game		 L 65–73 5–2 Tied (18) Arellano Gym
Manila
(#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in UTC+08:00.
  1. ↑ Jasper Magno was a member of the Team B training pool

UAAP games

Elimination games were played in a double round-robin format. All games were aired on ABS-CBN Sports and Action and Balls. The second game of the Finals series was aired on ABS-CBN and Balls.

UAAP Season 78 game log
Elimination round: 11–3
Game Date • TimeOpponentResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
1 Sep 5 • 4:00 pm Adamson Soaring Falcons W 70–64 1–0 Daquioag (28) Ferrer (8) Ferrer (4) Smart Araneta Coliseum
Quezon City
2 Sep 9 • 4:00 pm FEU Tamaraws W 72–71 2–0 Daquioag (18) Ferrer (8) Sheriff (3) Smart Araneta Coliseum
Quezon City
3 Sep 13 • 2:00 pm UP Fighting Maroons W 67–59 3–0 Daquioag (27) Ferrer (10) Sheriff (2) Mall of Asia Arena
Pasay
4 Sep 19 • 4:00 pm NU Bulldogs L 54–55 3–1 Ferrer (14) Ferrer (11) Tied (3) Mall of Asia Arena
Pasay
5 Sep 26 • 4:00 pm Ateneo Blue Eagles W 68–58 4–1 Ferrer (27) Abdul (11) Daquioag (3) Mall of Asia Arena
Pasay
6 Sep 30 • 4:00 pm De La Salle Green Archers W 77–61 5–1 Ferrer (27) Abdul (13) Sheriff (5) Mall of Asia Arena
Pasay
7 Oct 7 • 2:00 pm UE Red Warriors
End of R1 of eliminations		 W 83–76 6–1 Daquioag (34) Abdul (10) Daquioag (6) Smart Araneta Coliseum
Quezon City
8 Oct 12 • 4:00 pm De La Salle Green Archers W 81–79 7–1 Abdul (18) Tied (11) Ferrer (2) Smart Araneta Coliseum
Quezon City
9 Oct 17 • 4:00 pm NU Bulldogs W 62–57 8–1 Tied (13) Ferrer (10) Vigil (3) Mall of Asia Arena
Pasay
10 Oct 21 • 4:00 pm Ateneo Blue Eagles L 74–80 8–2 Daquioag (19) Tied (9) Daquioag (3) Smart Araneta Coliseum
Quezon City
11 Oct 25 • 4:00 pm UP Fighting Maroons W 83–76 9–2 Ferrer (29) Ferrer (14) Vigil (6) Mall of Asia Arena
Pasay
12 Nov 4 • 2:00 pm UE Red Warriors L 77–91 9–3 Abdul (25) Abdul (15) Daquioag (6) Smart Araneta Coliseum
Quezon City
13 Nov 7 • 4:00 pm FEU Tamaraws W 85–76 10–3 Abdul (23) Vigil (7) Abdul (3) Smart Araneta Coliseum
Quezon City
14 Nov 11 • 2:00 pm Adamson Soaring Falcons
End of R2 of eliminations		 W 78–63 11–3 Ferrer (25) Ferrer (10) Tied (4) Smart Araneta Coliseum
Quezon City
Final Four: 2–0
Game Date • TimeSeedOpponentResultSeriesHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
1 Nov 22 • 3:30 pm (#1) (#4) NU Bulldogs W 64–55 1–0
(12–3)		 Vigil (19) Vigil (10) Vigil (7) Smart Araneta Coliseum
Quezon City
Finals: 1–2
Game Date • TimeSeedOpponentResultSeriesHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
1 Nov 25 • 3:30 pm (#1) (#2) FEU Tamaraws L 64–75 0–1
(12–4)		 Abdul (19) Abdul (9) Tied (1) Mall of Asia Arena
Pasay
2 Nov 28 • 3:30 pm (#1) (#2) FEU Tamaraws W 62–56 1–1
(13–4)		 Ferrer (29) Ferrer (10) Daquioag (4) Smart Araneta Coliseum
Quezon City
3 Dec 2 • 3:30 pm (#1) (#2) FEU Tamaraws L 62–67 1–2
(13–5)		 Daquioag (21) Vigil (7) Tied (2) Mall of Asia Arena
Pasay
(#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in UTC+08:00.
Source: HumbleBola

Postseason tournament

The Philippine Collegiate Champions League games were aired on ABS-CBN Sports and Action.

Postseason game log
2015 PCCL National Collegiate Championship: 0–1
Game Date • TimeOpponentResultRecordHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
1 Dec 15 • 4:00 pm USC Warriors
Elite Eight knockout stepladder rounds		 L 72–82 0–1 Daquioag (17) Filoil Flying V Arena, San Juan
(#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in UTC+08:00.

UAAP statistics

Eliminations

Player GP GS MPG FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TOV PPG
Kevin Ferrer141431.57117740.1329234.8779977.88.21.60.90.42.217.9
Ed Daquioag141434.58921142.274117.1456668.25.62.21.10.83.416.4
Karim Abdul141429.45913643.42540.0578666.38.41.20.51.22.412.6
Louie Vigil14824.14911542.6114226.2213560.04.82.50.40.42.19.3
Marvin Lee14219.8256240.3143737.8232979.32.90.61.10.01.66.2
Mario Bonleon13616.6235839.782334.84757.12.40.80.00.21.84.5
Kent Lao14217.1155129.4113432.46966.72.90.40.10.10.63.4
Jon Sheriff141017.2114425.0000.0102540.02.42.10.60.00.72.3
Kyle Suarez6014.33566.033100.0000.00.30.20.00.00.51.5
Renzo Subido1205.921315.41911.13475.00.40.80.10.00.50.7
Jeepy Faundo1003.111100.0000.03475.00.60.00.10.20.00.5
Zach Huang602.3010.0000.0000.00.30.00.00.00.20.0
Justin Arana201.2000.0000.0000.00.00.00.00.00.00.0
Janrey Garrido600.8020.0010.0000.00.20.00.00.00.30.0
Enric Caunan400.6010.0000.0000.00.00.00.00.00.00.0
Ama Abdurasad400.5000.0000.0000.00.00.00.00.00.00.0
Total1440.034887739.78928731.024936468.440.611.94.93.216.473.9
Opponents1440.034590838.07829926.119830764.544.113.13.43.118.769.0

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FGM FGA FG% 3PM 3PA 3P% FTM FTA FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TOV PPG
Kevin Ferrer4434.8225937.393030.081553.36.31.30.51.01.815.3
Karim Abdul4431.2144035.0000.0202969.07.31.00.01.33.012.0
Ed Daquioag4432.9154632.61911.1121675.05.82.01.01.03.510.8
Louie Vigil4428.7165032.021612.54757.16.32.51.00.51.09.5
Marvin Lee4017.661637.531323.17977.82.31.30.00.01.35.5
Mario Bonleon4016.471450.02728.6000.02.00.00.00.00.54.0
Jon Sheriff4315.061154.5000.041233.33.00.50.50.00.84.0
Kent Lao4118.021414.311010.03475.01.50.00.30.00.32.0
Zach Huang204.4000.0000.0000.00.50.00.50.00.00.0
Jeepy Faundo403.2000.0000.0020.01.50.00.00.00.30.0
Total440.08825035.2188521.2589461.739.08.53.53.812.563.0
Opponents440.08325932.0189020.0699771.150.810.02.03.317.363.3
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FGM  Field-goal made  FGA  Field-goal attempts  FG%  Field-goal percentage
 3PM  3-point field-goal made  3PA  3-point field-goal attempts  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage
 FTM  Free-throw made  FTA  Free-throw attempts  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  TOT  Turnovers per game  PPG  Points per game
Source: HumbleBola

Awards

Name Award Date Ref.
Team Fr. Martin Cup runner-up trophy 17 Jun 2015 [19]
UAAP runner-up trophy 2 Dec 2015 [6]
Ed Daquioag Mythical team 28 Nov 2015 [20]
Appeton Most Improved Player
Player of the Week 9–13 Sep 2015 [9]
Kevin Ferrer Mythical team 28 Nov 2015 [20]
Bear Brand Adult Plus Level Up Player
Player of the Week 23–27 Sep 2015 [7]
30 Sep–4 Oct 2015 [8]

Players drafted into the PBA

Kevin Ferrer and Ed Daquioag, both members of the Gilas national team training pool applied for the 2016 PBA draft and were selected through a special draft separate from the regular rookie applicants on October 30, 2016.

Ferrer was selected by the Tim Cone-led Barangay Ginebra San Miguel team as the second pick, while Daquioag ended up with the Norman Black-coached Meralco Bolts for the special draft's sixth overall pick.[21]

Year Round Pick Overall Player PBA team
2016Special draft for Gilas players22Kevin FerrerBarangay Ginebra San Miguel
66Ed DaquioagMeralco Bolts

References

  1. ↑ Riego, Norman Lee Benjamin. "UAAP, "league of national athletes," has returned". ABS-CBN Sports. Retrieved 5 Sep 2015.
  2. ↑ Mariano, Paolo. "UAAP By the Numbers: Week 11". ABS-CBN Sports. Retrieved 16 Nov 2015.
  3. ↑ "UST books Finals date with FEU after dethroning NU". CNN Philippines. Retrieved 22 Nov 2015.
  4. ↑ Mariano, Paolo. "UAAP by the Numbers: Week 12". ABS-CBN Sports. Retrieved 23 Nov 2015.
  5. ↑ Bracher, Jane. "Ferrer sizzles as UST beats FEU to extend UAAP Finals series". Rappler. Retrieved 28 Nov 2015.
  6. 1 2 Riego, Norman Lee Benjamin. "Decade-long search ends as FEU seizes 20th championship". ABS-CBN Sports. Retrieved 2 Dec 2015.
  7. 1 2 "Ferrer shoots way into Player of the Week honors". ABS-CBN Sports. Retrieved 28 Sep 2015.
  8. 1 2 Wires, The. "UST Tigers sustain hot streak and Kevin Ferrer claims second straight Player of the Week award". SPIN.ph. Retrieved 5 Oct 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Daquioag's Player of the Week nod caps off UST's perfect week". ABS-CBN Sports. Retrieved 14 Sep 2015.
  10. ↑ Abello, A.P.; Dioquino, D.R.M.; Saynes, J.D.G.; Basco, K.C.G. "UST assistant coach Ballesteros quits". The Varsitarian. Retrieved 19 Dec 2014.
  11. ↑ Henson, Joaquin. "Sporting chance: Welcome to winter". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 11 Dec 2005.
  12. ↑ Fajardo, John Chester. "PBA legend Patrimonio joins Tigers' training staff". The Varsitarian. Retrieved 30 Jul 2015.
  13. ↑ Terrado, Reuben. "UST Tigers forward Jan Macasaet making up for lost time after a season wasted by injury". SPIN.ph. Retrieved 13 Sep 2016.
  14. ↑ Terrado, Reuben. "Eager to make mark after missing last season, Regie Boy Basibas shows glimpse of what he can do for UST". SPIN.ph. Retrieved 17 Sep 2016.
  15. ↑ Ganglani, Naveen. "UST's Karim Abdul still recovering from knee surgery in April". Rappler. Retrieved 1 Oct 2015.
  16. ↑ Abello, Angelica. "Daquioag carries UST past Cobras in FilOil". The Varsitarian. Retrieved 3 Jun 2015.
  17. ↑ Fajardo, John Chester. "New injury feared for UST sniper". The Varsitarian. Retrieved 2 Oct 2015.
  18. ↑ Basco, Karl Cedrick. "Renzo Subido relishes up-and-down stint with UST". ABS-CBN Sports. Retrieved 20 Nov 2019.
  19. ↑ Terrado, Reuben. "Heavy Bombers overcome Tigers to complete nine-game sweep of Fr. Martin Cup". SPIN.ph. Retrieved 18 Jun 2015.
  20. 1 2 Terrado, Reuben. "UST pair Ferrer, Daquioag join Teng, Aroga and MVP Ravena in UAAP Mythical Team". SPIN.ph. Retrieved 19 Nov 2015.
  21. ↑ Del Rosario, Paolo. "Blackwater tabs Belo, Ginebra selects Ferrer; Banal first pick of regular draft". CNN Philippines. Retrieved 31 Oct 2016.
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