A Struggle to the Top

UP has always been one of the leading producers of newly trained Filipino scientists, artists, researchers, and scholars. Yet with this vivid display of academic excellence comes an unfortunate disposition in terms of extracurricular activities. Since the University Athletic Association of the Philippines or UAAP was established, the Fighting Maroons has been competing in the various events that the association holds. It is a question though, why the university fails to stamp its mark on men’s basketball championships which is one of, if not the, most sought after titles in the UAAP.

UP has not been lacking of the moral support from its students; win or lose, there is a cult of Iskolars following their Fighting Maroons team, chanting the famous "U-ni-ber-si-dad ng Pilipinas!" cheer, screaming  with every point made by their favorite players. When the team wins, much much pride is being shown by the students, showing off that the university not only promotes academic competence, but physical capabilities as well. When it loses, which happens most of the time, they joke about the players having a hard time getting their heads in the game, when they have tons of acad works to finish. Supporters are most of the time hesitant that the team will lose. Not because the players are weak, maybe there's more to it than that.

The coaches and coaching staff of UP Fighting Maroons are not short of the capabilities of honing the potentials of the players in their specific fields. They themselves were trained and specialized in their lines of work, and therefore they are fitting to be trainers of the UP varsity team.

The players alone cannot be the reason why the team loses. They were handpicked and chosen to be representatives of the university, and more or less they do their best to show the talents they possess. The last thing that can be the reason to this dilemma, is the facilities for training.

We are very much acquainted that while the university boasts of its state-of-the-art facilities for science and technology, its facilities for physical development are deficient. The gym is almost disintegrating, and the new gym looks like it would still take a long time for it to be finished. It is not that this area of the university is ignored, but the deficit in budget tends to look more into the "more important" matters of the academe. They spend more on other things that would help the university sustain itself.

With the training grounds lacking, the players would have a hard time working on the best of their potentials. Not only the men's basketball team, but the varsity team in general. We are very proud when they top their respective events, boasting of honor and excellence they contribute to the academe, coy when they lose. Yet we do not know that in every participation they make in these competitions are the struggles of carrying UP Pride with them.