AND STILL, UP YET TO MISS THE FINALS IN THIS GOLDWIN ERA

GOLDWIN Monteverde arrived in Diliman carrying a vision.

Fresh off a dynastic run with NU–Nazareth School, the veteran coach stepped into the University of the Philippines knowing exactly what he wanted to build: a men’s basketball program that would no longer just dream of greatness, but live in it.

Four years later, that vision has taken full shape.

Under his watch, the Fighting Maroons are now finalists for five consecutive years, two-time champions, and on the brink of a historic third crown in five seasons.

"Nu’ng unang year ko, siyempre super excited ka coming from high school," Monteverde told SPIN.ph moments after UP survived University of Santo Tomas, 82–81, in a gritty Final Four duel on Wednesday.

READ: UP marches on to fifth straight finals after gutsy win vs UST

"Parang player lang din na may pangarap ka rin as a coach."

From the beginning, Monteverde anchored the program on one guiding principle: when opportunity comes, attack it relentlessly.

"Having that chance na makapunta rito, siyempre lahat nang makakaya mo, ibibigay mo," he said.

"We’ve always talked about this as a team. The opportunity isn’t always there, so when it’s given to you, you make the most out of it."

UP Fight, through and through

But if UP’s rise appears smooth from afar, Monteverde is quick to remind that nothing about the journey has ever been easy.

Despite reaching five straight finals, the first two against Ateneo in Seasons 84 and 85, then the next two versus La Salle, each campaign demanded reinvention.

Each roster shuffle, each setback and each opponent presented a new mountain for the Fighting Maroons to climb.

"Every year talaga, challenge," he said. "Importante lang sa amin is how we respond to these challenges, sticking together kapag may adversity na nangyayari sa team."

And with success comes pressure. Monteverde knows well the old sporting truth: getting to the top is hard, but staying there is harder.

"One thing I learned is talagang lahat kailangan pagdaanan mo," he said.

"Same way na nagre-respond ang ibang teams, ganun din kami dapat mag-prepare. Having talented guys is not enough. Getting them to work together, paano papakiramdaman ‘yung mga bagay, it gets very critical moving forward."

For State U, the standard has been set. For Monteverde, the dream he walked into Diliman with has come true.

Now, he and the maroon-and-green have their eyes set on writing an even bigger chapter, one forged not by chance, but by seizing every opportunity that comes their way to win back-to-back titles for the first time ever.

2025-12-03T14:15:11Z