LeBron takes his talents to Japan

My beloved UP Fighting Maroons' quest for back-to-back championships took a major hit last Monday when it was announced by various news outlets that Francis "LeBron" Lopez will leave the premier university in the country and will now take his talents to South...well south of Korea in Japan.

The 6'6" uber-athlete was supposed to take the leadership reins of UP following the graduation of J.D. Cagulangan and Quentin Millora-Brown, who led the Iskos and Iskas to the Promised Land in Season 87 of UAAP.

Dolreich "Bo" Perasol, director of the University of the Philippines Office of Athletics and Sports Development, acknowledged that losing Lopez indeed is a big blow to State U's chances of a title repeat.

"Together with the coaches, we all felt down as Francis was a significant part of what we do both on offense and defense." He, however, acknowledged that Lopez has set his sights to further hone his basketball skills as a professional and, me thinks, what better way to do it than the Land of the Rising Sun. Last I looked, that's where the big bucks are.

"It's the opportunity to play on a higher level as a professional and earn for his family. We all wish him the best. His absence will leave a huge impact on our overall competitiveness," said Perasol, who himself was part of the UP Fighting Maroons from 1990-1994.

The former UP head coach said it's now up to their young core to step up following the exits of Cagulangan, Millora-Brown, and now Lopez.

"Coach Gold [Monteverde] doesn't have a regular starting 5. It can be Mark Belmonte or Miguel Yniguez [who would replace Lopez]." As for veteran leadership, Perasol said Harold Alarcon and Gerry Abadiano can fill the void and shepherd the development of their new recruits like Yniguez and Noy Remogat. Center Seven Gagate, who was sidelined for most of last year, also can literally be a big part in UP's success in Season 88.

The former Air22 Express head coach in the PBA also said that, as of now, UP has yet to decide who will be their foreign student athlete for the upcoming UAAP season As for his message to UP alumni and supporters, Perasol had this so day, "For the UP community to continue supporting and cheering for the team!" Lopez is leaving the Diliman-based team to embark on a professional career with the Fighting Eagles Nagoya in Japan's B.League. Fittingly, the Nagoya team's name is sort of an amalgamation of Lopez's high school and college teams—the UP Fighting Maroons and the Ateneo Blue Eaglets.

Lopez won Rookie of the Year honors in his debut season after averaging more than 10 points and nearly 6 rebounds per game over 36 games in Season 86. In Season 87, he played a crucial role in UP's championship run, upping his scoring to 10.8 per game on top of 5.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.3 swats per contest. In fact, in the decisive Game 3 of the finals against De La Salle University—the same team who vanquished them in the finals the previous season—he contributed 12 points, 11 rebounds, and a crucial 3-pointer that helped secure the 2024 title.

Lopez now joins a growing list of former UP players who have pursued professional careers overseas, including the aforementioned Cagulangan and Carl Tamayo—both gave UP its first championship in 36 years in Season 84. As for the NBA, I've switched allegiances to the Indians Pacers (there you go Edwin Sallan), as the clock finally hit midnight on the rats and pumpkins of the Miami Heat. Pretty soon, the LA Lakers, will also be Cancun-bound (their version of Boracay) as the Minnesota Timberwolves have buried the original LeBron (James) and Luka Doncic in a 1-3 hole. More of my postmortem analysis about my two favorite NBA teams that I love to hate in next week's column.