There’s an entire generation that has never seen the UE Red Warriors play UAAP Final Four basketball, though earlier in this millennium, the Red Warriors were once a perennial contender.
UE established an identity as a high-octane, run-and-gun team in the 2000s known for producing some of the top amateur guards in the country. The most prominent one was eventual two-time PBA Most Valuable Player James Yap, who formed a formidable trio with Paul Artadi and Ronald Tubid in the early part of the decade. They passed on the torch to Paolo Hubalde, Marcy Arellano, Bonbon Custodio, James Martinez, and Paul Lee who continued to elevate UE’s growing program in the years after.
These Red Warrior teams qualified for eight consecutive UAAP postseasons from 2002 to 2009, highlighted by two finals appearances in 2007 and 2009. UE lost on both occasions–first to the DLSU Green Archers then the ADMU Blue Eagles–yet the future seemed bright for their budding program as they firmly had their identity in place and what seemed like a stable pipeline of high potential guards.
However, the 2009 season ultimately marked the end of this era for UE. The Red Warriors have not made it to the Final Four since, despite spitfire guards such as Roi Sumang, Rey Suerte, and Rey Remogat donning the school’s red and white jerseys at one point or another during the years that followed.
Winning campaigns have been hard to come by for UE in recent years, but they have finally rediscovered their touch this UAAP Season 87 under the tutelage of third-year head coach Jack Santiago.

After beginning the season with two losses to the veteran laden UST Growling Tigers and the pre-season title favorite UP Fighting Maroons, the Red Warriors have rattled off five consecutive wins out of nowhere to vault themselves into Final Four contention. No one expected this from UE, yet here they are.
While the most impressive–and popular–among these victories was their 75-71 upset of the reigning champion Green Archers, the Red Warriors have been equally stunning in each game of this ongoing streak. Santiago has slightly tweaked the team’s traditional formula, as he still employs a guard-oriented system, but also draws strength from the interior presence of their 6’9 foreign student athlete Precious Momowei.
Through UE’s first six games this season, Momowei, who hails from Nigeria, has emerged as the team’s top player in terms of statistics with averages of 11.2 points, 13.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and one block per game. His importance was especially evident in their 69-62 victory versus Ateneo where he played every minute of the contest.
Momowei helped orchestrate the Red Warriors’ remarkable comeback against the Blue Eagles where they turned a 10-point fourth quarter deficit into a lead that managed to go as high as 10 points. He finished the night with 18 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block, although his free throw struggles (four-of-12) and seven turnovers still leave him with some room for improvement.
The interior dominance of Momowei has naturally freed up his teammates on the perimeter as well, particularly Wello Lingolingo and John Abate who have been the biggest beneficiaries so far. These two have ably filled the void in the backcourt left by Remogat who decided to shift allegiances to the Fighting Maroons earlier this year.
The third-year Lingolingo is averaging 10.2 points, 2.5 three-pointers, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.3 steals this season while Abate, who is a transferee from UST, has put up 9.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
Ethan Galang, Gjerard Wilson, Rainer Maga, Devin Fikes, and Jack Cruz-Dumont have also made significant contributions during this UE winning streak.
In their first round finale, the Red Warriors needed a complete team effort to overcome their poor shooting night and beat the Adamson Soaring Falcons, 63-62. UE had four different players–Momowei, Fikes, Lingolingo, and Galang–who scored at least 10 points and their collective effort down the stretch helped them steal the game despite trailing by double digits yet again.
Lingolingo capped off the Red Warriors’ run with a putback double-clutch fade-away game-winning jumper at the buzzer to beat Adamson in what is likely to be remembered as the signature moment of this streak. With the win, UE improved their record to 5-2 this season, good for third in the entire UAAP behind only last year’s finalists DLSU and UP.
The Red Warriors’ current run has now reached five straight wins, marking their longest streak since the 2014 season. During that campaign 10 years ago, they came close to clinching a Final Four berth but ultimately fell short in a tiebreaker game against the eventual champion NU Bulldogs.
This year’s UE team gives the program their best chance since then to end their Final Four drought. Fittingly, they play a fearless brand of basketball, defined by their relentless comebacks and unabashed three-point shooting, that is reminiscent of the Red Warriors of old.
Every time UE steps on the court, they have a legitimate chance to win, no matter the opponent. This resurgence has not only thrust them into the Final Four race, but also put them in contention for a twice-to-beat advantage.
Every win has not only pushed these Red Warriors closer to their first postseason appearance in 15 years, but has also won over a new generation of fans. The UAAP is always a better place when UE is running, gunning, and winning, and it’s about time that today’s youth get a taste of classic Red Warriors basketball.
