Zobel standout Marco Sario practicing with UP, hopes for DLSU

MANILA, Philippines – De La Salle Zobel shooter Marco Sario confirms he’s been practicing with the UP Fighting Maroons and is scheduled to also practice with the DLSU Green Archers.

Speaking to the media during the press conference for the SLAM Rising Stars Classic over the weekend, the 5-foot-8 shooting guard said that, “As of now I’m practicing with UP. I practiced with them, try-out lang (it was just a try-out).”

La Salle Zobel’s Marco Sario says he will play college ball for either UP or DLSU (if they offer) pic.twitter.com/Qx1Iwm3gYW

— Naveen Ganglani (@naveenganglani) March 19, 2016

“But on Tuesday,” continued the graduating high school standout, “[DLSU Assistant] Coach Paolo (Sauler) told me to go to [La Salle] to practice with them. I’m undecided right now. We’ll see what fits me.”

There was also some noise in the recruitment sector that Sario may have been interested in joining UST, but he confirmed that the Growling Tigers’ absence of a head coach makes it a shaky proposition.

After two years at the helm, Bong Dela Cruz is currently not coaching the school’s basketball team following allegations of verbal and physical abuse of his players.

“Wala pa coach daw, so magulo pa. UAAP is in September so I have to be prepared na talaga kung anong school.”

(They still don’t have a coach, so it’s kind of messy. The UAAP starts in September, so I have to already be prepared with which school I’ll go to.)

Sario averaged 11.3 points a game in the UAAP Season 78 juniors division with the Junior Archers, who made it to the finals and fell to the NU Bullpups in 3 games. Sario was also respectable from 3-point range, averaging 33%.

When asked if he has a preference where to play college ball, Sario admitted he prefers to stay in green.

“For me kasi I would like to go to Taft kasi I’m from Zobel, so La Salle is my home na talaga. I’m hoping to get in po.

(For me, I would like to go to Taft because I’m from Zobel, so La Salle is really my home. I hope I get in.)

“For me as a basketball player, siguro (I guess) the basketball program that’s going to help me improve from,” he said about his decision-making on where to commit. “In [La Salle], they have a nice basketball program so I really want to go there.”

Sario faces stiff competition for playing time if he commits to the Green Archers. His high school teammate, Aljun Melecio, has already committed to DLSU, which is also bringing back Thomas Torres, Kib Montalbo, Andrei Caracut, Jolo Go, Enzo Navarro, and Andrew Langston.

At 5-foot-8, Sario will surely need to re-model his game for a better crack at minutes in the college division. 

“I played off guard in high school, so I have to play point guard and be mature [in college],” he said.

He also mentioned that beyond basketball, academics will play a major role in where he eventually ends up enrolling.

“For college, I want a business-related course [because] in college [it’s] academics first then basketball next.” – Rappler.com