Features

Rookie Year: A Heartfelt Reflection on UAAP Season 87

When I got home from the final game of UAAP Season 87, I was on the verge of tears. Memories kept replaying in my mind, flooding my thoughts until I finally broke down, bawling my eyes out. I thought, Wow. My first year covering men’s basketball as UAAP media is done.

It felt like everything happened just yesterday. I remember being so nervous during my very first interview with UST’s assistant coach, Juno Sauler. My nerves were so overwhelming that I blanked out after asking only two questions.

The following game day, I interviewed Nash Racela, head coach of the Adamson Soaring Falcons. He knew I was new to the media when I was introduced to him. After the interview, he told me I was a “natural.” I held onto those words for the entire season.

Of course, there were days when I doubted myself, but that never stopped me from showing up for work—even when I had to sit on the floor to get things done, cover games by myself, or talk to athletes who towered over me. I always arrived with a smile, even if my insides were rumbling with anxiety.

At the start of the season, my Senior Editor, Naveen Ganglani, told me I would always remember my first year covering the UAAP. He said, and I quote, “There’s nothing like it.”

Throughout the season, I made sure to take a few seconds to cherish each moment. It’s easy to take things for granted when we get used to them. The many athletes who once seemed intimidating eventually became familiar, friendly faces. The Smart Araneta Coliseum and MOA Arena, which initially felt so vast, eventually seemed just the right size. The drum beats that used to overwhelm me became rhythms I’d tap my foot to. Sometimes, I even found myself chanting along with the crowd—I memorized the cheers without even realizing it.

In those moments, I knew I was somewhere I belonged. What once felt nerve-wracking turned into a comforting routine. After the final match between UP and DLSU, Naveen hugged me tightly and said, “I’m so proud of you. You did so well this entire season.”

I wanted to cry right then and there, but we were still in the media room. So I waited until I got home to let the tears flow. And as I write this now, I won’t lie—I’m crying again.

The truth is, I grew so much over the course of the season—just four months. That was four months of commuting from Bulacan to wherever the games took place, drinking coffee to stay energized for evening matches, and waiting outside locker rooms for exclusives with athletes and coaches.

It was four months of witnessing triumphs and heartbreaks, making mistakes and learning from them, and experiencing a series of firsts. And these are four months I will remember for the rest of my life. There’s truly nothing like your rookie year.