It was an improbable run to the UAAP Finals last year for the University of the East. Although they were a talented and veteran-laden team, almost every basketball observer and UAAP fan expected it would come down to reigning champion Ateneo and powerhouse Far Eastern University disputing the Season 72 championship. UE wasn’t doing too well in the first round of the eliminations, only further bolstering the perception that the Red Warriors would not really get very far. When they made the Final 4 they faced FEU, and they needed to beat the mighty Tamaraws twice to return to the Finals. Lo and behold they did precisely that, setting up the showdown with the Blue Eagles.

In the Finals, again the Warriors were considered the underdogs, a team just lucky to be there. Again all the so-called experts expected that Ateneo would easily dismiss the upstarts from CM Recto. After a tough Game 1 loss that saw Ateneo display its famed championship poise and composure, the UE critics had a field day and declared the series over. Then the Warriors did what they had done all throughout this season, walloping Ateneo by 20 points in Game 2 and forcing a winner-take-all Game 3, silencing all the naysayers. UE history department chair Roger Espiritu, sitting in the patron section, even improvised a sign to taunt the Ateneo gallery “See You In Game 3” it said. True enough though Ateneo did win its second straight UAAP title, but UE certainly put up a fight no one expected.

Four of the starters on that team are no longer with UE, and that finish might be nearly impossible to repeat, never mind any serious attempt at the championship. Pari Llagas and Elmer Espiritu, the anchors inside, have moved on to the pros. They accounted for over 2/3 of UE rebounds and nearly all of UE shot blocks. Those are numbers that will be realistically impossible to replace. Val Acuna and Rudy Lingganay are also now plying their trade in the pros. Both men brought offense and defense from the perimeter and helped run the UE transition.

It seems everything now rests in the hands of superstar 6-foot guard Paul Lee, the man who has come to personify the Red Warriors. Lee is a dynamo on both ends of the court and has emerged as a natural team leader who commands the respect of teammates and opponents alike. Lee however will have another veteran to help him out: 5-foot-7 guard James Martinez is coming back from the ACL injury that sidelined him for all of last season. Martinez provides a lot of pressure from the perimeter with his quick trigger and incredible range. If his driving game comes back 100% he could be a pocket version of Lee. Also returning are power-leaping 5-foot-9 guard Raffy Reyes and smart and snappy 5-foot-10 guard Paul Zamar, who will provide speed and hustle from the perimeter. They will be joined by 6-foot swingman Ric Enguio, a power leaper from Lyceum. In the post, three players are expected to deliver this season: athletic 6-foot-6 center-forward Ken Acibar, who has spent the last couple of seasons at the end of the bench, 6-foot-5 slam-dunking forward-center Sam Razon, and 6-foot-5 veteran newcomer Jun Rosopa, a tough guy who dropped off the radar the last couple of years after a relatively distinguished career as a Letran Squire.

UE’s high school and women’s division fortunes however don’t figure to be anywhere near as bright as the men.