The UP Fighting Maroons hemorrhaged half of its roster from UAAP Season 85 -- and ten out of its 16-man lineup during its championship run in Season 84.
Make no mistake, though, they aren't rebuilding. Far from it, actually.
State U remains stocked and stacked, with Francis Lopez, Seven Gagate, Luis Pablo, and Sean Alter already committed to their quest to reclaim the crown in Season 86 -- and many more coming, including top-ranked high school player Jared Bahay as well as Chris Hubilla, for Season 87.
It bears repeating, yet again, how far UP has come from its dark days when it only had 13 wins to show out of 126 games from 2007-15.
Even more, their winning and championship culture is very much in place, with holdovers such as CJ Cansino and JD Cagulangan doing their darndest to make sure all their talent is targeted towards team goals.
"Siyempre, mga players namin, blue-chip recruits talaga so sinasabi namin, 'di kami yung mag-adjust sa inyo, 'di yung team yung mag-adjust sa inyo," exclaimed Cansino. "Kung nado-dominate niyo ang high school, 'di niyo pa alam magiging role niyo coming sa UAAP."
Without a doubt, Cansino knows what he's talking about. A UAAP juniors basketball MVP, he had all the hype coming out of high school and then made an immediate impact as a rookie for University of Santo Tomas.
"Sinasabi ko lagi sa kanila na nung rookie year ko, ganyan din ako. Ang yabang-yabang ko, MVP ako pagpasok ko ng UST e," he recalled.
"Pero kailangan mong i-humble ang sarili mo para maipasok yung laro mo sa sistema e. 'Pag rookie ka, kailangang maging pasensyoso ka lang. Bata pa lang naman sila, so malalaman pa lang nila paano maging mas matalino sa kung ano ba yung kailangang matulong sa team."
After growling as a Tiger, the 6-foot-2 guard found himself, against his wishes, transferring to Diliman, where he hit the biggest shot of his young career in Game 3 of the Season 84 finals to help end a 36-year title drought.
The same story goes for Cagulangan, a former NCAA juniors basketball champion with La Salle Green Hills who was pegged to be the La Salle Green Archers' point guard of the future. Unfortunately, things didn't work out and he then had to try his luck with the Fighting Maroons.
And lucky, both camps were, as the 5-foot-9 ever-gutsy guard etched his name into the history books by making the Season 84 championship-claiming triple over the outstretched long arms of Gian Mamuyac. Right then and there, he became a UP legend, so when he says to just work and wait your turn, it comes from experience.
"Lagi kong sinasabi sa kanila, dito sa college, back to zero na. Anumang na-achieve mo nung high school, kailangan mo nang i-set aside yun. Kailangan mo lang magtiwala sa coaching staff kasi sila naman ang mag-guide sayo sa college," he shared.
"Yung iba kasi, feeling nila, nandun na sila sa potential nila, pero 'di pa yun yun e. Dapat kung ano ka nung high school, mas higitan mo pa."
All that means is that the likes of Pablo, Gagate, Lopez, and Alter, all superstars in high school, will have to find their shine once more. Each and every one of them will have to orbit around the sun that is a championship hopeful squad.
The good news for them is that alongside their undeniable talent, they were wooed by the Fighting Maroons because of their character. A character that remains humble while striving for greatness.
A character that knows collective action matters much more than individual glory. A character that never forgets that as hyped as they may be, they're now just cogs in a juggernaut designed for championships and dynasties.
All those make them not only blue-chip recruits, but deep down, 'Maroon-chip' recruits.
"What we're looking for in our 'Maroon-chip' recruits are talents who can help right away, so much so that they can have offers sa international or sa pro after two to three years," said program director Bo Perasol.
"At the same time, they're players who want to leave a winning legacy, a championship legacy in their time with us, kaya they'll always do their best for the team."
Indeed, it's been so far so good for this new update to State U's continued contention, as they claimed their first-ever championship in the 2023 Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup, with veterans Cansino, Cagulangan, and Harold Alarcon showing the way and many of their newcomers contributing as well.
"All of our players had their struggles, pero yung character we have sa team na we never stop, yun yung ayaw kong mawala sa kanila," said head coach Goldwin Monteverde. "As a coach, you're always happy when your players, lumalabas yung mga pinaghihirapan nila."
The UP Fighting Maroons aren't rebuilding. They're not even retooling. Rather, they're ready and raring to take home a second title in three seasons.
And with their 'Maroon-chip' recruits getting into their groove, that may very well turn into reality -- not only for next season, but also for the foreseeable future.