THE UAAP introduced Sidney Oliva, a fourth-year Architecture student, as the Season 88 courtside reporter of UST during the league’s basketball press conference at Gloria Maris Sharks Fin Restaurant Greenhills on Monday, Sept. 15.
Oliva will step in for Season 87 correspondent and second-year medicine student Chersie Zulueta.
Oliva once dreamed of playing in the UAAP as a long-time fan and even suited up for the Architecture volleyball squad in the Thomasian Goodwill Games last year.
“When I started watching UAAP, I actually dreamed of playing for a UAAP school, but I wasn’t really a dedicated athlete. That’s when I decided to bring my dedication courtside,” Oliva told The Flame.
With her friends’ encouragement, Oliva embraced the courtside role as a way to turn her love for sports into telling stories from beyond the playing field.
“It means so much to me because this means that I could see the game beyond what we see on TV, beyond what we know about the players,” she said.
As she gears up for her debut, Oliva said her priority this season is to connect and interact more with the athletes.
“Right now I’m really focusing on getting to know them [athletes] more on a deeper level. But I’m pretty sure they would give us a good game on the first fight against UP,” she added.
Oliva will make her first courtside appearance when the Growling Tigers take on defending champion UP Fighting Maroons on Sunday, Sept. 21, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
The courtside roster for Season 88 includes returning correspondents Cheska Ramos of UP, Vicsi Burgos of Ateneo, and Althea Franco of UE, with newcomers Sophie Espiritu (DLSU), Frankie Buenvenida (Adamson), Juliana Marasigan (FEU), and Zjeahne Luis (NU) completing the lineup. F
