By Maxine Louise Lagman
Rhenz Abando, Ira Bataller, and Jun Asuncion have decided to leave University of Santo Tomas (UST) for good, following the departure of former teammates CJ Cansino and Brent Paraiso amid investigations on UST’s alleged training bubble in Sorsogon.
“Thank you for your unending grace!!!” Abando wrote on Twitter, and later on posted the same caption on his Instagram stories with a photo of UST’s Main Building in the background.
Letran, UST’s sister-school, and San Beda University are said to have expressed their interest in recruiting Abando, who has tallied 11.71 points and 5.29 rebounds per game, according to a report by Manila Bulletin Sports.
The Varsitarian, UST’s official university-wide publication, first reported Abando and Bataller’s departure, noting that both players did not explain further on what led to their decision to leave the team.
Abando will only have one playing year left if he decides to play for another UAAP school, but if he chooses to play for a non-UAAP school, like NCAA, he can play for two more years. On the other hand, Bataller who had 1.88 points and 2.88 rebounds per game, will still have two years in a UAAP school, and three if he chooses a non-UAAP team.
The Varsitarian also first reported that incoming sophomore Jun Asuncion has transferred to Mapua University. Although Asunción was not part of the roster training in Bicol, he showed promising performance in UST, when he exploded for 20 points in beating TIP during PBA-D League last March.
Follow the writer on Twitter: @meanxi
