Hard Path Home: Why Kacey Dela Rosa chose Ateneo over USC

Kacey Dela Rosa has spent most of her basketball life climbing toward bigger stages. Her latest decision, however, was about resisting the temptation to leave one stage before completing what she started.

In our exclusive conversation, the Ateneo star confirmed that she received an offer from the University of Southern California (USC Trojans), one of the most prominent women’s basketball programs in the United States.

“That is true,” Dela Rosa said. “Pero I want to stay sa Ateneo kasi gusto ko silang mabigyan ng championship.”

The opportunity presented a difficult choice. USC could have placed the Filipina center inside the NCAA Division I system, competing against some of the world’s best young players, and potentially moving closer to her long-term WNBA dream.

“Yeah, it’s a hard choice kasi USC is one of the top schools sa US,” she said. “Like what you said, may mga players from USC na nag WNBA. It’s a tough decision for me, pero I want to take the hard path pa.”

Individual recognition has come quickly during Dela Rosa’s Ateneo career. The championship she wants to leave behind has remained elusive.

Her unfinished mission traces back to a basketball court in Bangkusay, Tondo, where Dela Rosa began playing at nine years old. Her grade school, Holy Child Catholic School, did not have a girls’ basketball team, so she initially tried volleyball. Basketball remained the sport that fascinated her.

With a court located near her family’s home, she joined the boys in the neighborhood whenever they played. A coach eventually noticed the tall, athletic youngster and encouraged her to try out for Chiang Kai Shek College.

Her coaches taught her footwork, positioning, and even how to land safely after jumping. The young player who initially knew little beyond running and shooting gradually developed the post moves, balance, and coordination that would define her game.

Before entering college, Dela Rosa earned a place at the 2022 Basketball Without Borders Asia camp in Canberra, Australia. Competing against leading prospects from across the region, she was selected as one of the camp’s All-Stars alongside fellow Filipino Jared Bahay.

When several UAAP programs recruited her, she chose the Blue Eagles.

Her impact was immediate. Dela Rosa averaged 16.4 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 3.1 blocks during the elimination round of Season 85, earning Rookie of the Year honors, and a place on the league’s top individual team. She helped transform Ateneo from a program that had missed the postseason in the previous four seasons into a Final Four contender.

A year later, she averaged 19.6 points and 12 rebounds to become Ateneo’s first UAAP women’s basketball MVP since Cassy Tioseco in 2007. She elevated her production again in Season 87, leading the league with 22.1 points and 16 rebounds per game.

Her second consecutive MVP award placed her in rare company. Dela Rosa became only the fifth women’s player in UAAP history to win the honor in back-to-back seasons and the second from Ateneo after Tioseco.

Yet her team finished fourth in each of her first three campaigns.

Season 88 finally brought Ateneo back to the podium. The Blue Eagles defeated Adamson, 66-56, in the stepladder playoffs before falling one point short of the Finals in a 67-66 loss to National University. It was Ateneo’s best finish in a decade, but close enough to make Dela Rosa believe there was still more to accomplish.

She sees a group better prepared to turn those near-misses into something greater.

“We’re far more mature now,” Dela Rosa said. “All of my teammates are willing to learn talaga, and they want to win the championship.”

For her final run, she has placed particular attention on attacking the basket and improving her shooting. Those skills will be important not only in Ateneo’s championship pursuit, but also in determining how far basketball can eventually take her, especially if the ultimate goal is to make the W.

Although Dela Rosa has dominated the UAAP as a center, her international performances have shown that her game is beginning to travel.

She made her Gilas Pilipinas Women debut at the 2023 William Jones Cup and later competed in the 2024 FIBA Women’s World Cup pre-qualifying tournament and the 2025 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup.

Her breakout on the senior international stage came at the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand. Dela Rosa averaged 20.25 points and 11.25 rebounds as Gilas reclaimed the gold medal, including a 17-point, 16-rebound performance in the championship game against the host nation.

Dela Rosa also helped the Philippines secure its best finish at the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup with a silver medal before contributing to the country’s first victory at the FIBA 3×3 World Cup.

Those performances attracted attention from American colleges and professional teams overseas. They also demonstrated why USC represented such a significant possibility.

She still dreams of reaching the WNBA, while professional opportunities in Europe, Australia, and South Korea could await her after college.

For now, however, her focus is on the program that gave her the platform to become an MVP.

Dela Rosa grew up at a time when opportunities and visibility for Filipina athletes were more limited. Today, she sees UAAP women’s games regularly broadcast, the Philippine women’s football team reaching the World Cup, and Alex Eala carrying the country on the international tennis circuit.

“For sure,” she said when asked whether women’s sports had grown since she was a child. “Before, hindi televised yung UAAP games nila. Now, every game is televised. Yun pa lang, super laking improvement na for women’s basketball.”

She also understands that young girls in Manila, Cebu, and other parts of the country are watching athletes like her and beginning to view sports as a realistic future.

“It means a lot to me kasi that means mas lumalaki na yung women’s basketball here,” Dela Rosa said. “Mas nag-o-open siya ng more opportunities para ma-showcase yung talents ng mga Pinay.”

(Editor’s Note: The college basketball community is still waiting to hear of Ateneo’s eligibility for UAAP Season 89 from the collegiate league as of posting time.)