Vic Pablo Joins UP Staff, Finds a Homecoming in Diliman

Vic Pablo’s first practice with the UP Fighting Maroons came on May 6. Four days later, he was already on the bench for his first game in maroon, an Asiabasket NSAC victory against Adamson at the UP Varsity Training Center.

It was a quick introduction to a program still built around intensity. UP routed Adamson, 87-60, behind Veejay Pre’s 27-point outing, a win that sent the Fighting Maroons to the NSAC quarterfinals. For Pablo, though, the more meaningful part was not just the result. It was the place.

The former PBA forward and longtime FEU figure has joined Goldwin Monteverde’s coaching staff as a player-development coach for UP’s big men, adding another veteran voice to a program that has become one of the UAAP’s modern standards.

UP won the UAAP Season 84 title in 2022, ending a 36-year championship wait, then reclaimed the crown in Season 87 with a 66-62 Game 3 win over La Salle.

“My specific role is player development for the bigs,” Pablo said. “Coach Goldwin is very open-minded with any inputs, suggestions or comments.”

For Pablo, the move started simply. He had posted on Facebook that he was looking for a job. UP was the first program to reach out.

“I was initially open to any team that was willing to hire me,” Pablo said in an exclusive interview with ALL-STAR Magazine. “UP was the first team that reached out after my post on Facebook about looking for a job.”

The offer was hard to turn down. Pablo said he admired UP’s tradition of success, its passionate community, and the chance to work under Monteverde, who was named UP head coach in 2021 after years of success in the high school ranks. Monteverde later received a five-year extension after leading UP to three straight finals appearances and the Season 84 title over Ateneo.

But this was not only a basketball decision. Pablo already had a personal connection to the campus.

“It’s also meaningful to me personally,” he said. “My daughters, Ira and Mia, both graduated from the University. I’ve spent a lot of time around campus, UP Ikot was part of my jogging routine, and Palma Hall was one of my go-to spots for food. Being here feels like coming home.”

Pablo arrives with a resume that gives him instant credibility with frontcourt players. A former FEU Tamaraw, he was picked second overall by Ginebra in the 1993 PBA Draft before being traded to Pepsi. He went on to play from 1993 to 2008 for Pepsi, San Miguel, Formula Shell, Talk ’N Text, and Barangay Ginebra, winning four PBA championships along the way.

At his peak, Pablo was one of the PBA’s athletic forwards, a 1994 Slam Dunk champion and a multi-time All-Star. He is also a PBA 2002 Mythical Five selection, a 1998 Mythical Ten selection, and career averages of 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds a contest.

His coaching focus with UP will be straightforward: give the Maroons’ bigs the details that shaped his own career.

“I’m here to work, teach and serve the UP men’s basketball team,” Pablo said. “I’m here to share whatever I can from my experiences. I’m here to help our bigs with their game. Improve their post offense, rebounding fundamentals, defensive discipline and movements away from the ball.”

That role comes at an important time for UP. The Fighting Maroons are reloading after the end of the “Maroon 5” era of Gerry Abadiano, Harold Alarcon, Janjan Felicilda, Terrence Fortea, and Reyland Torres. UP’s post-Maroon 5 core includes Rey Remogat, Jacob Bayla, Gani Stevens, and Francis Nnoruka, with former UAAP Rookie of the Year Veejay Pre, NCAA Finals MVP James Payosing, and NCAA Juniors MVP Sean Franco also part of the next wave.

Pre is one player Pablo already knows well.

“VJ Pre is one player who’s very familiar with my drills and offensive pattern,” Pablo said. “Every big on this team is my priority. I’m confident with their willingness to learn, with their physical tools and work ethic, results will come.”

Pre’s development will be watched closely. The former FEU forward transferred to UP after winning UAAP Rookie of the Year and is eligible for Season 89. His NSAC performance against Adamson gave an early glimpse of what he can bring to the Maroons’ frontcourt.

Pablo’s arrival also fits a larger pattern. UP has continued to invest in its bench and basketball infrastructure around Monteverde.

For Pablo, though, the job is not about titles or nostalgia. It is about teaching. The former “Conqueror” now has a more specific task: help UP’s big men understand angles, footwork, rebounding position, defensive discipline, and the small movements that rarely make highlight reels but often decide games.

His return to campus begins as UP enters another transition, still chasing titles but now with a younger group and a reshaped staff. For Pablo, that means starting with the work.

And in Diliman, it also means starting somewhere familiar.