University of Santo Tomas men’s basketball team found itself thriving in Pido Jarencio’s significantly more relaxed coaching style following early back-to-back wins in the UAAP Season 87. 

The 60-year-old Jarencio is heavily set on reviving the Growling Tigers’ lost glory which he last helped achieve 18 years ago in Season 69. 

Though Jarencio has remained outspoken to keep the discipline intact within his team, his new teaching approach is proving to be beneficial for the Growling Tigers as they set sail through a tough season. 

”Hindi niyo ba ako nakita? Nagbago na rin ako. Hindi na ako sumisigaw sa mga players kasi nga steady na tong mga to eh. Malaki ang kumpiyansa ko rito sa mga to eh,” Jarencio said.

The España squad rose to an early 2-0 record to join defending champion La Salle atop the team standings as the only two remaining unbeaten sides after the first week of action. 

This, following UST’s emphatic 74-64 victory over Ateneo on Wednesday night, Sept. 11, to end a miserable 17-game losing streak against Tab Baldwin’s head-to-head brilliance. 

With the future looking brightly for UST after strings of losses in the past three seasons, Jarencio said the Growling Tigers are exactly where he wants them to be — in their winning identity. 

Still, it’s too early to call and claim it as their season.  

“Malayo pa to. Two games, first round. Pero kahit papaano nakakapondo na kami ng panalo. Para at least pagdating ng second round [which is much harder] may mga panalo na kami. Basta one game at a time, ang goal ay Final Four,” he said. 

With the rejigged lineup, Nic Cabanero is now in a rotation that actively shares the offensive duties which he had carried out all on his own since his debut for UST, with rising soft spoken rookie Gelo Crisostomo, Mo Tounkara and Mark Llemit chipping in to do some heavy lifting. 

As if that’s not enough promise for one team, Jarencio said he still has some few surprises coming all in the right timing. For now, all is good and going according to plan. 

“Established na kami after nung byahe namin sa South Korea. ‘Yung mga players na mage-end up sa rotation, sa laro. Meron pa ngang mga surprises na players na mabubunot namin [at some point]. Kaya lang timing. Mahaba pa naman ‘yung liga eh. May mga players pa kami na naka-ready [when called up] medyo malalim ‘yung bench namin,” he concluded.