Striking a deal with the University of the Philippines men’s basketball team was more than just a professional endeavor for PUMA country manager Paolo Misa.

For him, it was a homecoming of sorts, a pilgrimage, to the institution that molded him to the kind of person he is right now.

“It didn’t even feel like work with UP. It was a walk down memory lane. I got to visit the campus a lot,” the 45-year-old Misa said during a recent visit at DAILY TRIBUNE office in an episode of “Off the Court.”

“A lot of us, especially the UP alumni at the office, are very excited with this project because it’s our time to give back to the university. A big thank you to the Nowhere To Go But UP Foundation, they’re a huge part of why this partnership happened.”

The Fighting Maroons, the reigning Men’s Basketball champions of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), signed a deal that will make the iconic German brand their official outfitter for the next three years.

Misa said more than their on-court success, the Fighting Maroons’ vision and goals, make it easier for them to commit to the squad that is regarded as the best collegiate team in the country today.

“At the core of it is that common pursuit for excellence. That grit and passion to win,” Misa said.

“We’re aligned in that sense.”

Stomping grounds

Misa studied while playing as a midfielder for the Fighting Maroons from 1997 to 2002.

He admitted that winning was never easy, prompting him to work even harder to push himself and the team until they emerged victorious in the Men’s Football competition of the UAAP.

“In our first year we placed last. UP had been bottom-dwellers for some time,” said Misa, who was the team captain when UP eventually won back-to-back titles.

“We improved to a third place finish in my second and third year, and then finally, winning the championship in my fourth and fifth year.”

Misa said, under the tutelage of veteran coach Bob Salvacion, they felt they have a solid chance to go up against then more established squads like De La Salle University, University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University and Ateneo de Manila University.

“Usually, UP would scout players from Claret or provincial schools due to Coach Bob’s connections. But for some odd reason, during our time, a lot of us came from top schools in RIFA (Rizal Football Association),” Misa said.

“So the prospects for our batch were very bright.”

Misa even played in the ASEAN University Games (AUG) in 2002 when it was held in Manila.

“I was also the captain of that team. We finished third,” Misa said.

“As the UAAP champions, we made up the core for the AUG, we then added standouts from UST, FEU, Ateneo and La Salle.”

Breaking new ground

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Community Development in 2002, Misa never thought he would see himself enter the corporate world.

Misa started his sports retail journey as an account manager for a top American sports brand in 2004 and then moved to a competitor in 2009 to head its monobrand franchise business.

In 2010, he joined Freddy Gonzalez, the former Philippine Men’s Football Team director, to help manage his action sports portfolio.

“I was the general manager for Billabong, an Australian brand, which was part of then Aloha Board Sports group,” Misa said.

Misa would also work for the Primer Group of Companies where he started as a senior regional brand manager and then eventually moved up as assistant vice president.

Misa said during his early years he would juggle his work with football, playing in the United Football League (UFL) for clubs such as Kaya FC, Green Archers United and Pachanga Diliman.

He stopped playing in the UFL in 2013 to focus on his career.

“My last club was Pachanga. Then I stopped playing in 2013,” Misa said.

Little did Misa know that his experience in the corporate world and as a student-athlete would help transform PUMA into a powerhouse in the sports retail industry in the country.

In his element

By the time he was appointed by PUMA in 2021, Misa had already accumulated the experience to lead one of the top global sports brands in the Philippines.

“It’s a culmination of roughly a 20-year career in sports and lifestyle retail. I got a call saying they’re putting up PUMA in the Philippines and asked if I’d be interested in being employee number one,” Misa said.

“I always say, especially to our newer employees: ‘If only you knew what it was like when we started, we worked out of a small room and we didn’t know what to do most of the time.’ We started from scratch and really built the company to where it is today.”

One of the first major breakthroughs for PUMA in the Philippines was becoming the official outfitter for FEU in 2022 and having Gilas Pilipinas big man Kai Sotto as its first-ever Filipino brand ambassador in 2023.

In 2024, PUMA inked a deal with the Philippine Football Federation and became the official outfitter for the Men’s National Football team.

Misa said they made sure the products they provided won’t just be for the National team but also allow every fan to have access to them.

“Retail is a big component of everything that we do. If you can’t commercialize, it’s not worth doing,” Misa said. “Some brands, when they execute, it’s not activated in retail. It doesn’t make sense. Consumers want that access to product.”

It was a move that paid off handsomely as the Philippines reached the semifinal of the ASEAN Championship wearing PUMA kits.

While he did make an impact in his first few years with PUMA, it was their latest deal with the Fighting Maroons that hit home for Misa.

For one, they resonate with one another in terms of making an impact against more established teams and brands.

“They’re kind of like us. We’re a top brand, but we’re also out there still to prove ourselves,” Misa said.

“We’re challengers, especially in the Philippines, where you have giants and more established brands.”

Marketing the brand would mean convincing top athletes that the product is trustworthy and Misa said his edge is that he wears and tests PUMA products himself.

“I know sportswear. I’ve worn them all my life. Beyond Football, I’ve tried other sports as well — basketball, golf, tennis, triathlon. It helps to know the products you sell,” Misa said.

“I know how it is to be an athlete, and even beyond sports, the lifestyle products that brands offer were also what I would wear growing up.”

Competing in a bigger arena, the corporate world, Misa swears that the lessons and competitiveness he developed during his varsity days are still with him.

“A real athlete will keep on fighting, no matter the odds. That mindset helps you not just survive, but thrive because the corporate world is very competitive,” Misa said.

“Like our industry, for example. We’re competing against 12 to 15 brands just in the Philippines.”

Misa’s determination and wits from the pitch to the corporate world will be instrumental as PUMA aims to further solidify its status as a juggernaut in the sportswear arena.

And with hard work, determination and a bit of faith; a lot of things are possible.