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Building blocks: How the Fighting Maroons assembled a UAAP championship team

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Over the past 2-and-a-half years, the Fighting Maroons slowly put together the pieces that got them back on the mountaintop. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/sports/03/13/fighting-maroons.jpg"/><figcaption>Over the past 2-and-a-half years, the Fighting Maroons slowly put together the pieces that got them back on the mountaintop. George Calvelo, ABS-CBN News</figcaption></figure></div>Besides holdovers Ricci Rivero and James Spencer, these are the UP Fighting Maroons&#x27; key transactions over the past 2-and-a-half years:• In December 2019, UP acquired Maodo <a href="https://www.spin.ph/basketball/uaap-men/up-maroons-secure-future-post-akhuetie-by-signing-diouf-from-ceu-a2437-20191228">Malick Diouf</a> via transfer from Centro Escolar University, essentially a replacement for big man Bright Akhuetie. • In January 2020, <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/04/07/22/ups-cagulangan-says-no-special-motivation-vs-la-salle">Joel Cagulangan</a>, a former NCAA MVP transferred from La Salle – where he reportedly struggled to get playing time amid a guard logjam – commits to UP.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/05/13/22/up-ends-ateneo-dynasty-for-first-uaap-title-in-36-years">UP ends Ateneo dynasty for first UAAP title in 36 years</a></li></ul>• In August 2020, the team secured the commitment of Nazareth School of NU stars <a href="https://www.rappler.com/sports/uaap/high-school-stars-tamayo-abadiano-commit-up-maroons/">Carl Tamayo</a> and Gerry Abadiano; later that month, CJ Cansino came on board as University of Santo Tomas saw an exodus of players in the fallout of an unauthorized scrimmage during the pandemic.• In September 2021, <a href="https://www.spin.ph/basketball/uaap-men/up-gets-another-bullpup-as-harold-alarcon-moves-to-diliman-a2437-20210928">Harold Alarcon</a> commits to the Fighting Maroons out of NU Nazareth School.• This February, <a href="https://tiebreakertimes.com.ph/tbt/zavier-lucero-commits-to-up-eligible-for-uaap-s84/231833">Zavier Lucero</a>, from Cal State Maritime Academy, committed to the Fighting Maroons.• In July 2021, Perasol resigned as head coach, saying it was time for somebody else to call the shots; a month later, Goldwin Monteverde, a championship coach at the juniors level, was appointed his replacement.

Over the past 2-and-a-half years, the Fighting Maroons slowly put together the pieces that got them back on the mountaintop.