Let's be honest, as a longtime UP Fighting Maroons fan, I've learned to approach every new season with a mix of wild hope and tempered realism. The 2019 lineup had that familiar buzz—a blend of promising rookies and seasoned players ready to prove something. Looking back now, dissecting that roster feels like piecing together a puzzle where we almost, but not quite, had the full picture. I remember the anticipation building around guys like Juan Gomez de Liaño and Bright Akhuetie, our established stars, but what truly defined the depth of a team often showed in games like the one against NU, a match whose scoreline tells a deeper story than you might think at first glance.
Take that game against the NU Bulldogs, for instance. The final score shows NU 78, and our scoring distribution is a fascinating snapshot of that year's supporting cast. Kobe Paras and Bright might have been the headliners, but games were won or lost on the efforts of players like Jun Manzo, whose steady hand at the point was invaluable, and Javi Gomez de Liaño, who could catch fire from beyond the arc on any given night. But that NU game box score you provided? It's a goldmine for understanding our rotational depth. Seeing guys like David Murrell and Will Gozum starting to log meaningful minutes gave us a glimpse of the future. The scoring was spread out—no single player dominated, which was both a strength and a weakness. It showed we had multiple weapons, but on off-nights for our primary scorers, finding that consistent, go-to bucket could be a struggle.
I have to say, one of my personal favorite aspects of that season was watching the evolution of our defense. Coach Bo Perasol instilled a grit that previous UP teams sometimes lacked. We weren't just an offensive show anymore. Players like Noah Webb brought length and energy, and you could see the system starting to click in stretches where we'd get consecutive stops. It wasn't always pretty, and we certainly had our lapses—the game against Ateneo that year comes to mind, where their execution was just on another level—but the foundation was being poured. You could feel a shift; we were no longer easy points for opposing teams. We fought. We scrapped. That identity was crucial.
Of course, the season had its rollercoaster moments, as any true UAAP season does. I vividly recall the heartbreak of the close losses, games decided by two or three possessions where a single rebound or a costly turnover swung the momentum. That's where the inexperience of a relatively young core showed. Conversely, the highs were electrifying. The win against La Salle that year, fueled by a raucous, packed UP Arena crowd, was pure magic. It was in those games that the potential of the 2019 lineup felt limitless. When our transition game was running, led by Juan's court vision and Kobe's athletic finishes, we could hang with anyone.
Analyzing the roster now, I think our biggest strength was our versatility. We could go big with Bright and Will, or we could space the floor with a smaller, quicker lineup featuring Javi and Jun. This kept opponents guessing. However, if I'm being critical, our Achilles' heel was consistency, especially from the three-point line. We had shooters, but we'd have games where we'd shoot 30% as a team and it would completely stall our offense. We relied a bit too much on individual creation rather than a seamless, motion-based system. In the modern game, you need that reliable outside shooting to open up driving lanes, and we were just a tad inconsistent there.
Looking back, the 2019 UP Men's Basketball lineup was a pivotal chapter. It wasn't the championship team that would later emerge, but it was absolutely essential. It was the season where the culture truly changed. The players on that roster, from the stars to the role players grinding it out in practice, built the resilience and belief that would eventually lead to the historic title. They learned how to win tough games and, just as importantly, how to learn from brutal losses. As a fan, it was frustrating at times, but it was never boring. You could see the pieces moving into place, even if the final masterpiece was still a year or two away. That team made you believe that the long wait for a championship might finally be coming to an end, and as we all know now, that belief was not misplaced.