Last year’s Final Four finish clearly left Nic Cabanero yearning for more.

After spending the first three seasons of his UAAP career on the outside looking in, Cabanero and the UST Growling Tigers finally broke through last year and made it to the Final Four. They fell short against the eventual champion UP Fighting Maroons, but the Growling Tigers retooled during the offseason and have emerged as the early favorite to win it all in UAAP Season 88.

UST is currently tied with the NU Bulldogs for the best record in the UAAP (5-1) and their early success would not have been possible without the efforts of Cabanero. The 22-year-old forward leads the league in scoring with 18.8 points per game and is also averaging 6.5 points, 2.7 assists, and 1.7 steals. These numbers have put him front and center in the race for the league’s Most Valuable Player award as well.

Cabanero and fellow senior Forthsky Padrigao have done an excellent job of steadying what is otherwise a young Growling Tigers roster. It seems like whenever UST is struggling and in dire need of a basket, Cabanero is there to tide over whatever rough patch they may be going through. He has mastered the ability to use his wide physique to create space for mid-range jumpers or lay-ups which makes it seem like he can truly score at will regardless of who is in front of him.

The below-the-rim game of Cabanero may seem boring, yet his game-to-game reliability is what has turned the Growling Tigers into the contenders that they are today. His steadiness offsets the volatility of Padrigao and fellow veteran guard Kyle Paranada—both of whom are very much capable of shooting UST out of a game just as easily as winning them one.

The gravity that Cabanero brings to the floor has also helped fuel the strong play of rookie Foreign Student Athlete Collins Akowe. Opposing teams have been unable to consistently double team the 6’10 Akowe as Cabanero is too much of a threat to leave even remotely open.

While the top of the standings might seem like foreign territory for Cabanero, the cumulative experience that he has gained over the past four years seem to have helped him become ready for this moment. He is playing with the composure and confidence of a true superstar–one that knows that he is among the best in the collegiate ranks today.

The early results are encouraging, but if Cabanero is to join the all-time legends of this esteemed program, winning a championship with the Growling Tigers this season is a non-negotiable. Cabanero looks up for the task, the only question that remains now is if his teammates can rise to the occasion.