Hubilla commits to the UP Fighting Maroons

Chris Hubilla

The University of the Philippines continues to offseason buildup by securing the commitment of Chris Hubilla.

The Grade 11 student from San Beda made the commitment a year away from his high school graduation, a realization of his long-held dream.

He shares, "Naalala ko mga three years ago, naglaro yung UP dito sa amin sa Naga. Talagang nakipagsiksikan ako para mapanood sila Kobe [Paras], Ricci [Rivero], at yung magkapatid [Gomez de Liaños]."

Hubilla adds, "Kala ko panaginip lang nung chinat ako ni Coach Tom [Chua] na gusto ako makausap ni Coach Gold [Monteverde] kasi kakatapos lang NC nun tapos may opportunity na gusto nila ako kunin nun."

Fellow Bicolanos and current UP Men's Basketball Team Managers Atty. Agaton Uvero and Hyatt Basman helped solidify Hubilla's commitment to Diliman.

Chris says, "Natuwa ako nung nalaman ko na taga-Bicol din si Atty. Ags at Sir Hyatt. Nung nalaman ko yun, alam ko na na sa UP ako dapat mag-aral."

Atty. Uvero shares, "As a Bicolano myself and an avid fan of the team, I'm really proud that he joined UP. I'm really glad to see that the team has many players representing different regions of the country."

UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde notes about their newest commit, "Chris Hubilla is a strong finisher on the break and has a nice touch around the basket. He plays bigger than his size notably on the offensive glass." He adds, "Getting him creates another positive impact in the UPMBT program as we continue to build our team towards the future."

Hubilla averaged 20.86 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 2.29 assists for San Beda in his only eligible season with the team, numbers that merited a spot in the NCAA's Mythical Team whilst towing the Red Cubs through the stepladder, eventually falling short against La Salle-Greenhills.

Chris joins fellow 2024 graduate Jared Bahay in making the early commitment to the Fighting Maroons, where he will also be joined by Josh Coronel, who will sit out Season 86 rehabbing his injury.

He acknowledges that the time spent before making his collegiate debut will be on improving his shooting and defense, and he believes that he will achieve that with Monteverde's involvement, as he is expected to join the UP practices next week.