MANILA – Two standouts from the UST Angelicum Iloilo have been recruited to join the University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs for the upcoming UAAP Season 88 high school basketball tournament.
Tiger Cubs team manager Jarvis Co confirmed the acquisition of Leo John Lapastora and Rey Allen Bañes as they continue to strengthen their junior high school and boys rosters.
Co shared that the Estancia, Iloilo-native Lapastora stands 6-foot-4 and will play the forward position, while the Iloilo City-native Bañes is bolstering the Tiger Cubs’ point guard position.
Others recruited by the Tiger Cubs are 6-foot-5’s Isaiah Cuyler Echave (Cavite) and Isaiah David Regala (Laguna), 6-foot-2’s Simon Pulongbarit (Bulacan) and Tomas Cruz (Palawan) and point guard Rowie Cabañero (Leyte).
The Tiger Cubs has earlier recruited Benedick Jimenez (6’2”), Jhon Lee Melano (6’3”), and Flaviano “Thirdy” Candare (6’6”) from the San Sebastian College-Recoletos Staglets.
UST’s high school squad also shored up their center position with the recruitment of 6-foot-8 Cameroonian Nkwanan Jwen Joel Thibaut, who will be eligible to play after his one-year residency.
‘We have several players who have graduated after UAAP Season 87, so our recruitment is to fill up those positions,” Co said in an interview with Panay News.
The Tiger Cubs secured the championship in the Boys’ division during Season 87 and were the runner-up in the junior high school category./PN
