ATO NI! Mr. Atin To Desiderio gives encouraging words to UP Cebu cagers

CEBU, Philippines — The University of the Philippines Cebu Fighting Maroons got some words of encouragement from Mr. Atin To Paul Desiderio ahead of their first game in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation, Inc. (CESAFI) Season 24 basketball tournament against the Cebu Institute of Technology-University (CIT-U) Wildcats today, September 26, at the Cebu Coliseum.

Desiderio, one of the brightest hoop stars UP has ever produced, took time out of his busy schedule to give the UP Cebu cagers a pep talk, hoping that they would embody the fighting spirit he displayed during his stint with the Diliman-based squad in the UAAP seven years ago that was so memorable and very inspiring.

The pride of Liloan, who gained fame for his Atin To line in a game against the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tigers in 2017 that has since become UP s battlecry in re-establishing a winning culture in the country s most prestigious inter-school sports league, motivated the Fighting Maroons of Cebu to always be coachable, believe in themselves, play with a heart, and most of all, put God at the center of everything they do.

Desiderio, now donning the jersey of Abra Weavers in Manny Pacquiao s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL), was joined by UP Cebu Chancellor Atty. Leo Malagar, team manager Mark Leo Chang, and the entire coaching staff led by Rommel Rasmo in boosting the morale of the Fighting Maroons as they gird for a tough grind ahead.

In their CESAFI debut last year, UP Cebu won only two out of 10 games.

This time, the Fighting Maroons are aiming high.

Sa ngayon, target namin manalo nang marami para makuha yung No.2 spot, said coach Rasmo, who is expected to count the most from their vaunted triumvirate in JZ Dizon, Matt Flores, and Brandon Sainz in their quest for a Final Four finish.