Nowhere to Go But UP book highlights UP Men's Basketball ascent

Coming soon to a bookstore near you

Basketball fans can have an inside look at the ascent of the University of the Philippines men's basketball real soon, when the Nowhere to go but UP Foundation had their book launch for Nowhere to Go But UP: How a Basketball Team Inspired a Nation earlier this month at the UP Executive House inside the Diliman campus in Quezon City.

Attended by current and former players, coaches, team managers, sponsors, partners, volunteers, notable alumni, UP officials, and fans, which all played a role in forming the narrative of the men's basketball program as it emerged from being a cellar-dweller in previous seasons to breaking through and making the finals in 2018.

Tasked to serve as its author, Naveen K. Ganglani penned this piece through the perspective of the founders of the NTGBUP Foundation, a group of UP alumni that decided to join forces to help shepherd the UP sports out of the dark ages, doing so mainly with the men's basketball program.

Among those who spoke at the program is Renan B. Dalisay, who shared the birthing pains of NTGBUP and its growth to where it currently is now. He chronicled how the UP Men's Basketball program managed to emerge from the bottom to be at the cusp of a championship, a ride made possible thanks to the entry of recruits, partners, supporters, and improvements in the coaching staff and training.

Dalisay says, "It was purely because of my desire to give back to the University of the Philippines that made me commit into fulfilling this dream—a dream that we share with every Isko and Iska out there— to watch our basketball team play in an arena with a sea of maroon. But it doesn’t stop there. The best is yet to come."

As the author, Ganglani shares, "It has always been my dream to write a book. As a sports writer and reporter, writing the incredible story of the UP Fighting Maroons is not just an honor but also a dream come true. I can not thank the Nowhere to Go But UP foundation enough for giving me the chance to write one of the most inspiring stories I have ever encountered in the world of sports."

The book will be available in bookstores and at the NTGBUP Facebook page at PhP 800.