UAAP Esports: The Players to Watch for in Every Game
By Niklas Arriola, Erica Ann Villasorda, and Mario Alvaro Limos
Hometown Heroes. Rising Stars. Dark Horses.
The University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) will have all these types of players present in the upcoming Esports Tournament which will banner three titles (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, VALORANT, NBA2K) the eight schools will be competing in.
Here are some players from each campus to watch as the action begins.
Adamson University: Jayvee Buenviaje (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang)
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From humble beginnings competing in barangay leagues to the big stage, Jayvee is no stranger to the tough competition the Land of Dawn has to offer.
Ever since trying out MLBB back in 2018, the 22-year-old Gold Laner has collected tournament and in-game experience to hone himself as one of the lethal pieces holding up the San Marcelino squad, especially when he nabbed the Finals MVP and the 3-0 championship sweep during the inaugural JBL Quantum Campus Mania.
Jayvee has even stood toe-to-toe with the country’s top ML:BB personalities and basketball stars in the PBA Esports Bakbakan 2023, where he was drafted by the Meralco Bolts alongside Clarence Anelo “TV Wampipti ” Santos and Alvin Pasaol.
Expected to dominate the lane opposition and call the shots for his team, the Adamson skipper is excited to guide his roster of old and new talent from AdU GAME and soar to the top of the competition.
Ateneo de Manila University: Paolo Medina (NBA2K)
Way before esports had made its way to the UAAP talks, Paolo had already made himself part of Ateneo’s championship culture, serving as a student assistant for the Analytics team of the Blue Eagles when they won the trophy back in Season 85.
After catching wind of the tryouts for NBA2K, the decade-long dedication of playing the game (and competing with his siblings) and basketball IQ has come into fruition when he emerged as the top competitor and nailing his spot in the roster.
The 21-year-old tactician stands up from the bench to a playing position with the same mission as his brothers: to bring home the championship at the blue side of Katipunan, especially with the games happening on their homecourt.
Paolo’s offensive strategy will highlight the scoring prowess beyond the arc that would go hand-in-hand with his solid defensive setup to shut down his opponents. Picking up on Lebron James’ unwavering drive to win, Medina incorporates this thought into his game to make sure that no deficit is too big to come back from and no lead is safe when he’s around.
De La Salle University: Kean Yap (NBA2K) & Aaron Sablay (VALO)
Whoever said that the “start them young” mindset would not pay off clearly haven’t seen how well it worked out for Aaron.
It all started when his brother installed games on their family computer almost 17 years ago. As young as 4, shooter games were Aaron’s training grounds to polish his aiming and tactical skills. Initially, this 21-year-old applied economics major did not even plan to take his skills to arenas or competitions despite invitations from friends—until the pandemic happened. The pandemic might not be anything similar to good, but it did give people the gift of time—a gift Aaron utilized to kickstart his ascent towards the hill of victory.
Since then, he has already reached the Radiant Top 20, a list of the best players in the whole Southeast Asia, and gained professional experience through the Philippine Pro Gaming League (PPGL) Valorant Champions Tour (VCT) Split 1 where his team reached the semis in 2021. The following year, he was nominated for AcadArena’s Student Esports Athlete of the Year.
Now, he’s ready to take on the UAAP stage as the In-Game Leader and Entry Fragger of De La Salle University’s Valorant team, leading Taft’s Archers to aim for the bull’s eye—becoming the first ever Valorant champion in the inaugural season of UAAP esports.
Ever since the pandemic days, Kean has competed in tournaments for the Pro-Am mode of NBA2K when he discovered the local league “2K Veterans League Asia”, where he faced off with squads with his 5-man team. He eventually topped the competition, winning the league’s MVP in his position as a Point Guard.
Taking notes from the all time greats like Stephen Curry and Kobe Bryant, Kean has been perfecting his craft with discipline, reviewing mistakes and mastering each move countless times to bring out the best version of his game. From his days of trying to eke out a win as the youngest in his line of cousins, Kean is now on the road to bring glory to the Taft side.
Showcasing on his playmaking abilities, the floor general passes his talents to a wider approach of piloting the whole squad as he goes 1v1 with the different players UAAP has to offer. While running the offense is the primary goal to win games, he always puts a premium on the defense that wins championships.
Far Eastern University: Jordan Homer Eder (MLBB) and Nehemiah Maninit (NBA2K)
“I traded the opportunity in the pro scene for the chance to continue studying while enjoying my passion.”
For Jordan, Mobile Legends Professional League (MPL) was the dream. He was almost there—playing in the amateur scene, experiencing the boot camp for two years, nearly becoming a professional player. But when it came to the point where his future was on the line, he made the hard decision to let go of his could-have-been professional career and pursue college—hoping and manifesting that UAAP will someday include esports in its roster of competitions. It even came to a point where it was what motivated him to enroll in Far Eastern University.
And just like what they always say, when a door closes, a window opens. It didn’t take too long for Jordan’s wish to come to life. Now that UAAP opened its doors for esports players, this 22-year old Roamer and Team Captain became more fervent in proving his mantra: he will not waste his time in MLBB, he will achieve something out of it; even if it means charging aggressively and bravely facing anyone who will hinder their dream head-on.
Prior to UAAP, Nehemiah (or Nem) explored the local competition for NBA2K two years ago having joined online tournaments in the MyTeam format that featured the 1v1 player setup with the 5v5 gameplay.
As the pandemic restrictions eased, he began to participate in onsite tournaments where he snagged multiple Top 3 finishes against seasoned, elite NBA2K players who came from different cities just to compete.
Toughened up by strong competition ever since, the Tams cager looks to bring all those battles into a force towards victory. With all the tips and tricks he picked up from better players he faced or defeated, Nem looks to pair it with an unbreakable will as his team charges forward to face any opposition head on.
National University: Robby Miguel Martin and Harold Blas (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang)
A new breed of Bulldogs is ready to embark their journey towards the most coveted title of becoming the first-ever UAAP MLBB Champion, with a 22-year old Gold Laner leading the pack.
Robby’s journey was like Vale’s skill—it all felt like a whirlwind. With the influence of his younger sibling and cousin, he started figuring out why they were so enamored by the game. And just like that, with only four months of exploring the Land of Dawn, he already started venturing into his first ever tournament—Smart’s Siklab Saya Tournament where he landed 3rd place. Naturally, this is his most memorable individual performance, not only because it’s his first time but because he felt like the tournament brought out a different version of him that he didn’t know existed. Since then, he was opened to a myriad of opportunities.
But as we all know, esports is not all rainbows and butterflies. When faced with adversities and immense pressure, Robby makes sure that he goes home to feel the warm embrace of his family, his support system. And with his family’s support at his back, Robby is determined to not only set the team up for victory, but also continue last season’s Tiger-Bulldog rivalry.
Meanwhile, Harold Blas, who is taking up BS Accounting Information Systems, is one of the pioneer players of Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, starting in 2016. His grind allowed him to earn over 800 stars in ranked games, higher than many professional players in the MPL. Blas is NU’s Mid Laner, and his favorite picks are Xavier, Kagura, and Luo Yi, heroes with very potent burst damage.
University of Santo Thomas: Arjohn “Arji” Roxas (Mobile Legends: Bang Bang)
In 2023, Roxas took back-to-back silver finishes with the Teletigers being tamed by De La Salle University’s Viridis Arcus in the Campus Legends PH tournament and the SMART University Clash.
This year, Arji is leading the pack in a golden redemption run.
The 18-year-old journalism major has already rewritten history after taking charge in dethroning Viridis Arcus in SMART University Clash 2024 while conquering the Metro West in the Alliance Games MLBB Regional Finals over FIT iTamaraws Esports Club.
As a roamer, his plays around the map make sure that his teammates stays ahead, while his role as an In-Game Leader tasks him with making split-second decisions for the team that could translate to runner-up finish or the championship. (But for this tournament, he might be pouncing on two positions.)
Despite his already decorated career, Roxas hunts for one more title to etch in his podium-laden resume: A UAAP Champion.
With rivals and fellow champions laid out in his path, Arji looks to bring his winning ways towards an ending where the Teletigers lift the UAAP trophy in front of the UST faithful.
University of the East: Saad Macapa-ar (VALORANT) and Ceanne Manalastas (NBA2K)
Saad’s competitive career in VALORANT started way back 2021, when his friend tapped him to join an aspiring amateur squad, which eventually led to a championship against the top underground teams from around the country.
Now taking his place in UE Zenith, Macapaar has led his squad, UE Zeus, to conquer tournaments within the school and even outside the collegiate scene.
Playing dual roles, the standout flexes his agent pool as he lurks in the shadows as Omen in the Controller position and provides information as Sova when he’s on Initiator duty.
On the other hand, Ceanne has been playing NBA since he was 6 years old. He started his 2K history back when NBA Live ‘09 dropped in 2008, and has consistently played every single NBA2K title up to now.
Within the 16-year span, he has always treated the game as a hobby, alongside his passion for basketball and being a fan of the Golden State Warriors. But now, he has to switch gears and bring his A-Game, with the UAAP being the first competitive stage he will step on.
While on two separate paths, both players will run toward one goal: bringing home the first big championship for UE Zenith in both games.
University of the Philippines: Benedict Dasas (Valorant)
Life is full of surprises, and this rookie is not that different.
As his in-game name “daeMONSTAH” suggests, UP Esports Varsity Team’s new recruit has been tearing through his opponents in the VALORANT servers. He has reached the peak of the rank ladder by barging into Asia’s Radiant tier, a feat exclusive to the top 500 players of the region.
The up-and-comer has also shown his battle-tested side, competing in tournaments since 2021 like the One Esports VALORANT Community Tournament, where he crossed paths with international teams, once against Indonesia’s Tiger Wong Esports whom he and his team defeated to nab the championship.
Armed with superb mechanics and gamesense, what makes Dasas even more dangerous is his vast pool of agents. Whatever he picks, the rookie can provide the frags needed to change the game in any role given to him.
You can expect his explosive plays as Raze and high-flying tactics with Jett to help bring his team inside the champions’ circle as the top-tier duelist debuts on the UAAP stage draping the Maroons.
