UAAP Season 87 saw the UP Men’s Basketball Team (MBT) redeem its lost glory after back-to-back championship heartbreaks. But it also saw the departure of vital cogs Finals MVP JD Cagulangan, Francis Lopez and Quentin Millora-Brown — who all turned professional.
Several Fighting Maroons also opted to take their collegiate careers elsewhere, such as Aldous Torculas, Seven Gagate and Denzil Walker.
Yet a promising future awaits the defending champions with six new faces more than ready to embody the “UP Fight” spirit in the Fighting Maroons’ title-defense bid for UAAP Season 88, tipping off on Sept. 19.
Rey Remogat
No shoes are bigger to fill than those left by UAAP Season 87 Finals MVP and UP MBT legend JD Cagulangan.
But Season 86 Mythical Five member and Gilas 3×3 standout Rey Remogat may have just the guts — and the game — to take the helm in the upcoming UAAP season.
In 23 minutes of action, the former UE Red Warrior averaged 9.5 points, 4 dimes and 2 rebounds to help the Fighting Maroons make history with their third straight Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup title in July.
Notably, the 5-foot-9 crafty guard delivered two straight daggers from deep to eliminate the unbeaten DLSU Green Archers in the preseason tournament.
Remogat has also donned the Gilas Pilipinas jersey, leading the team to its first-ever stop championship in the 2024 FIBA 3×3 U-23 Nations League.
Francis Nnoruka
Six-foot-nine Nigerian center Francis Nnoruka is State U’s newest foreign student-athlete this UAAP Season 88.
The 22-year-old lengthy and versatile big will join the likes of Gani Stevens and Sean Alter to boost the green-and-maroon’s frontline after the stint of Millora-Brown.
In the 2024 Manila Best Tournament, Nnoruka stuffed the stat sheets with a double-double of 43 points, 20 rebounds and 5 blocks in a Fighting Maroons’ close 77-75 win over the Letran Knights.
He also bagged the Defensive Player of the Season honors in the 2025 Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup after registering an average of 12.3 markers and 8.6 boards.
Nnoruka is set to replace fellow Nigerian and Season 87 champion Dikachi Ududo, who served as the team’s foreign student athlete (FSA).
Miguel Palanca
After de-committing from the NU Bulldogs, NU-Nazareth School (NUNS) Bullpups standout Miguel Palanca is set to bolster UP’s inside presence.
Standing at 6-foot-7, the Agusan del Norte native posted 9.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game during the Bullpups’ runner-up finish in the UAAP Season 87 boys’ basketball tournament — making him one of the promising bigs in high school who transitioned to the collegiate level.
Palanca also led the NUNS to a National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) 2025 National Finals Division 1 Fearless 4 appearance. The long-limbed forward/center posted 21 markers and 11 boards in the semifinals, but lost to eventual champions Fil-Am Nation Select.
Under former Bullpups coach Goldwin Monteverde, he will also be joining fellow NUNS alumni now called Maroon 5: Harold Alarcon, Gerry Abadiano, Terrence Fortea, Reyland Torres and Janjan Felicilda.
Josh Coronel
After an injury-marred start to his collegiate career, Josh Coronel is finally set to fulfill his dreams of playing in the UAAP stage.
The Batang Gilas standout first committed to the Fighting Maroons in UAAP Season 86 but was sidelined by an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear. His return was delayed yet again in Season 87 after suffering another ACL injury during the preseason.
Coronel is the lone holdover among the three La Salle Green Hills (LSGH) recruits from Season 86, after twin towers Luis Pablo and Seven Gagate opted to go for greener pastures with De La Salle University.
In a 2024 interview with Tinig ng Plaridel, the LSGH product said this setback helped him be more mentally tough and resilient.
“Alam ko sa sarili ko na lahat ng pinagdadaanan ko is something na magagamit ko in the future kapag naglalaro na ako for UP,” said the 6-foot-4 forward.
READ: Defend the throne: Recovering UP MBT players await call-up for Season 88
Miguel Yñiguez
After sitting out UAAP Season 87 to complete a year of residency, 6-foot-5 Fil-Am winger Miguel Yñiguez is set to finally lace up for the Fighting Maroons.
Hailing from San Francisco, California, Yñiguez comes from a family with strong UP roots as his father, grandparents, uncles and aunties studied in UP.
During the 2025 PinoyLiga Collegiate Cup, the US-NCAA Division II sharpshooter amassed 10.4 points on 33% shooting, providing a much-needed boost to the Diliman-based squad’s perimeter arsenal.
LA Andres
One of the team’s earliest recruits, LA Andres, is set to finally make his long-awaited UAAP debut with the Fighting Maroons.
The St. Mary of the Woods School Makati standout was sidelined in Seasons 86 and 87 after suffering an ACL injury.
Now fully recovered, the 6-foot-7 versatile forward brings both size and experience after being part of the Batang Gilas roster in the 2022 FIBA U-18 Asian Championship. He also averaged 13.7 points and 10.3 rebounds in the 2023 Smart NBTC National Finals.
“Despite ‘yung pinagdadaanan kong injury na ito, matatag lang ako sa gusto ko na mangyari [para sa akin] na makapaglaro nga ako sa UAAP and of course, gusto ko na ring makita ‘yung magulang ko na mapanood ako sa loob ng court na naglalaro,” Andres told Tinig ng Plaridel in February.
Apart from these six recruits, State U also secured reigning Rookie of the Year Veejay Pre, Rainier Maga, Russel Ogana and Arvie Poyos, but they have yet to complete a year of residency.
The UP Fighting Maroons will see their UAAP Season 88 title defense action against the host UST Growling Tigers on Sunday, Sept. 21, on the Tigers’ home turf at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
