ROOKIE SETTER Sam Panganiban is determined to uphold the legacy of UST Golden Spikers as veteran playmakers Dux Yumbao and Joshua Avila prepare to exit the team next year.
The 18-year-old newcomer officially joined the Tigers’ lair last Friday, Aug. 15, hoping to help secure a bright future for the squad.
With Yambao entering his final UAAP season, Panganiban has emerged as a potential heir to the main playmaker role. For the rookie, sharing the court with players he once only admired from the stands and on TV is both an honor and a source of pressure.
“I really looked up to them [Yambao and Avila] and now that I’m playing under them, it’s really pressuring to know that they’re graduating and I could potentially be the next main setter,” the Cagayan de Oro native told The Flame.
“Watching them means a lot to me because I learn a lot by just simply watching them,” he added.
Before donning the black and gold, Panganiban began his volleyball journey with Corpus Christi School in Cagayan de Oro, later moving to Biñan, Laguna, where he suited up for De La Salle Integrated School as a setter from Grade 10 to senior high school.
Under the guidance of head coach Odjie Mamon and assistant Ben Mape, Panganiban described his first sessions with the team as “surreal.”
“It was really weird to me at first, but now I’ve been getting more comfortable around and playing with them,” Panganiban said.
“The coaches have been supportive, especially because they pay a lot of attention to detail, that’s one thing I really like,” he added
Yambao, who was crowned as the UAAP Season 87 Best Setter, said Panganiban is now facing a challenge to prove that he is deserving of a spot on the team.
“Hopefully, he can be a good fit for the team… it depends on him on how he’s going to improve himself and how he can show that he deserves a spot on the team,” the team captain said.
“He just needs to observe us more, especially me, Joshua [Avila], Gwen [Colinares], and his other senior setters to speed up his improvement,” Yambao added.
A freshman taking up Fitness and Sports management at the Institute of Physical Education and Athletics, Panganiban will have five full years of UAAP eligibility starting Season 88. F
