MANILA, Philippines—Joseph Obasa made his homecoming in Manila last Monday as a member of the Macau Black Bears that took on Gilas Pilipinas for a tune-up game before the 2025 Fiba Asia Cup.

Obasa, Ateneo’s foreign student-athlete for UAAP Season 86, said he was excited to once more step on Araneta Coliseum’s hardwood floors, a place where he played most of his games with the Blue Eagles.

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The 26-year-old, though, saved some of that excitement for his alma mater’s upcoming Season 88 campaign.

After a subpar showing in Season 87, Obasa believes Ateneo is on its way back to the top of the UAAP food chain, thanks to the players’ progression.

“Honestly, I believe that any player that gets in that program has an opportunity to learn the most out of their coaches,” said Obasa with the Inquirer after their 103-98 loss to Gilas on Monday.

“There’s KG (Kyle Gamber), (Shawn) Tuano and a bunch of them. The Ateneo system sets them up to make a lot of progress. I’ve seen a lot of maturity from Jared’s (Bahay) game and it’s time for him to take the next step, I guess.”

Former Ateneo big man Joseph Obasa.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

Last season, Ateneo had arguably one of its worst campaigns in recent history. The Blue Eagles not only missed the Final Four but also finished in the very bottom with a 4-10 record.

For context, with Obasa as Ateneo’s FSA in Season 86, the Blue Eagles went 7-7 and reached the semifinals.

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Still, Obasa said he wasn’t concerned about last year’s numbers, especially after witnessing one of the team’s recent practices under coach Tab Baldwin.

“I’ve seen them practice a few times when I got back here and I liked what I saw. I’m always here to support [them] and hopefully, they bring it home this year.”

“I think this year seems like the strongest team. They’re solid. Last year, we needed more in terms of personnel but this year feels like they have a good group. We’re never really favored, we were always underdogs and we liked that.”

Ateneo will have some ample backing next season, especially with the emergence of Bahay, who had a promising rookie year for the Blue Eagles with averages of 10.6 points, 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds across 14 games played.

Tuano will also be a talent to look out for, as Obasa emphasizes,  after he posted 9.5 points, three rebounds, and close to an assist per outing last season.

Ateneo will have a few more weeks to prepare before the UAAP’s 88th Season officially opens in late September.