The core of the powerhouse University of Santo Tomas (UST) juniors basketball squad is not going anywhere.

Tiger Cubs head coach Manu Iñigo yesterday told DAILY TRIBUNE that the nucleus of his champion team in Charles Bucsit, Carl Manding and Koji Buenaflor will stay in the school’s España campus to power the Growling Tigers in Season 88 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament.

Iñigo said having the services of Bucsit, Manding and Buenaflor will be a big boost to their long-term program of sending top athletes to college under the mentorship of Pido Jarencio.

“I’m happy for my players and for UST. That has always been our goal: To continue our high school program into college,” Iñigo said in a telephone conversation.

“It’s a big deal that they will enter college with that championship experience because it gives them confidence. Their performance would still depend on how well they will do in practices and in preseason games.”

“I think they are ready to compete in the next level and they are already familiar with the system me and Coach Pido are running in UST.”

True enough, the troika is more than ready to prove its worth.

Buenaflor, for one, is a highly-touted prospect who reportedly drew the attention of topnotch schools like University of the Philippines, De La Salle University and Ateneo de Manila University.

After posting 11.38 points, 7.92 rebounds and 1.0 steals during the Tiger Cubs championship run, Buenaflor was ranked No. 5 in the list of high school prospects of the National Basketball Training Center (NBTC).

Meanwhile, Bucsit will provide the Tigers a legitimate outside threat after averaging 8.7 points, 3.43 boards, and 1.43 steals while former Gilas Youth player Manding normed 8.2 points and 5.7 rebounds for the UST side that ended a 24-year title drought.

Also joining the Tigers is Alfred Loreto, who had a good showing for the Tiger Cubs in the NBTC National Finals where they made it as far as the semifinal before losing to Kieffer Alas and Phenom Blue Fire, 72-89.

The high school standouts will join Tigers stars Nic Cabañero and Forthsky Padrigao as well as Gelo Crisostomo, Amiel Acido, and Mark Llemit as they gun for the title after advancing to the Final Four in Season 87 last year.