Gani’s Transformation: How Losing 20 LBS Made UP’s Big a Force

With reports from Naveen Ganglani.

When UP Fighting Maroons center Gani Stevens arrived in Diliman, he carried more than the weight of expectations — he also carried nearly 270 pounds on his 6-foot-7 frame.

Two years later, the red-turned-maroon student-athlete is down to around 250 to 255 pounds, lighter, quicker, and far more explosive. That 30-pound drop did not come from any trendy diet or shortcut. It came from discipline, curiosity, and science.

Stevens began his transformation during his residency year with UP, when he decided that the only way to contribute meaningfully was to reshape his body.

“First, I was just focused on losing weight,” Gani said. “So, I still ate the same, but I just ate way less. And then, I cut out sodas, Coke Zero, water, things like that. Not like a specific diet, just really cutting calories.”

From sugary drinks to zero-sugar sodas and plain water, Stevens cleaned up his liquid calories. The transition was not easy, especially for someone who loved his snacks.

“Yeah, it was sad. I was sad,” he said. “It helped, though, because all my favorite snacks are in the US. So, when I came here, I really cut down on a lot of snack eating, so that helped.”

Under UP’s strength and conditioning coach Dwight Demayo, Stevens found a system that reshaped both his body and his mindset.

Hypertrophy helped him lose a lot of weight, Gani revelead. “Doing high reps, high-intensity workouts, and a lot of cardio. Right now, I’m just focused on maintaining my current weight of 115 kilos.”

Demayo shared that something clicked for Gani before the current season.

“This season something switched within him,” Demayo said. “He really honed in on the off-court stuff. He was already curious last year, but he turned it up a notch. I think a huge factor is him being in the Sports Science program. He enjoys understanding the technical side, so it’s easier for him to follow because he gets the why behind it.”

The more Stevens learned, the more invested he became. Demayo said Gani began sending him sports science videos, sometimes even on Friday nights, and asking questions about training, recovery, and biomechanics.

“I recommended some sports science and bodybuilding guys to follow,” Demayo said. “He’d binge-watch their videos, ask about what he learned in class, and sometimes I’d help him with his school work. He got addicted to understanding the science behind training.”

That curiosity translated into smarter workouts. Stevens learned how programming, tempo, and rest intervals could change the purpose of each exercise, from building muscle to developing power. He became particularly interested in hypertrophy, realizing that movements like squats or deadlifts could either bulk him up or make him more explosive depending on how he executed them.

Running also became an essential part of his transformation.

“I was running a lot during the residency year,” he said. “That’s when I lost a lot of weight. I was really just focused on lifting and then eating right.”

That combination of running, proper fueling, and progressive overload reshaped his body and helped him eliminate the pain that had bothered him for years.

“I’ve noticed that my knee pain has gone away,” Stevens said. “I can last way longer on the court. Before, I was really tired after a few minutes. But now, I can almost last a full quarter. So, it’s nice.”

Demayo revealed that one of Gani’s biggest issues was Achilles tendonitis, which bothered him throughout his first year in UP.

“It was something he could play through but bothered him when training got hard,” Demayo explained. “This year, I haven’t heard him complain about it. As his foot got stronger, his capacity to tolerate fatigue got stronger too.”

The key to recovery, Demayo added, was education and self-awareness.

“He studied the condition itself,” Demayo said. “He learned how the tendon works and why rehab exercises matter. Once he understood that, it was easier for him to follow through — and we were able to resolve it.”

Today, Stevens’ training is focused on maintenance and performance. So far in UAAP Season 88, he’s averaging 8 points, 50% FG, and 4 rebounds in 20 minutes per game.

“Workout right now with Coach Dwight, we’re just doing a lot of maintenance stuff,” Gani said. “So, a lot of low sets but really high velocity. And then, a lot of stretching and mobility. Just trying to maintain throughout the season.”

The results are clear. Stevens now moves lighter on his feet, defends with more stability, and contributes more consistently as the anchor in the middle for the Maroons. His transformation has turned him into one of UP’s key pieces in their bid for another championship.

“My role is just to be that anchor in the middle,” he said. “Obviously, there’s a little bit of pressure for us — good pressure. We want to repeat. We want to send our five Kuyas, the ‘Maroon Five,’ out with a bang.”

For Stevens, the journey from 270 to 250 pounds was not just about losing weight. It was about evolving as an athlete, a student, and a person who found power in understanding his own body. He is now proof that curiosity, consistency, and the right science can transform potential into performance.