A University of the Philippines legend is returning to his roots, now tasked to take the Women’s Basketball Team (WBT) to the next level.
Eric Altamirano was officially introduced on Wednesday as new shot-caller for the Fighting Maroons led by Gilas Pilipinas Women players Louna Ozar and Camille Nolasco and veteran gunner Kaye Pesquera.
“I’ve come full circle. This is my way of giving back sa school that gave me the opportunity to start my playing career and coaching career,” said Altamirano, who helped lead State U to the UAAP championship in 1986.
The veteran tactician was then tapped to mentor the UP Men’s Basketball Team in 1996 before successful stints in the PBA with Purefoods, Mobiline, and Coca-Cola. He then took his coaching clipboard to National U, where he ended a 60-year title drought in 2014.
While he hopes to do the same for his alma mater, Altamirano is tempering expectations and is, at the moment, just concentrating on building on the momentum from predecessor Paul Ramos who had set the squad up for success.
“I’ve been involved with women’s basketball for the last three years and I fell in love with it. There’s this certain challenge to help women’s basketball continue its rise, most especially, for my alma mater,” he said, as he served as consultant for Gilas Pilipinas 3×3 Women starting in 2023 and Pilipinas Aguilas in the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League since 2025.
“Of course, our long-term plan is to bring UP to the mountaintop. Pero for now, we have to continue taking these many steps to get there. For now, what we want is sustainable competitiveness.”
The 59-year-old mentor is succeeding Ramos, whose seven years at the helm saw the WBT slowly but surely climb the leaderboard, highlighted by a Final Four run in Season 86.
Ramos and his staff made up of April Bartolome, Kooky Binamira, Bryan Enrado, Marsha Faustino, Carl Lazaro, Emman Papa, and Aldrin Ranara, also guided Ozar to two Mythical Team selections, as well as paved the path for Rookie of the Year winner Favour Onoh to take her talents to the U.S. NCAA.
“Laking pasasalamat natin kay coach Paul for, as he said, giving seven years of his life to the WBT. Because of him and his staff, the pieces are already in place for us, and it’s just up to coach E and his own staff to put it all together,” said UP Office for Athletics and Sports Development Director Bo Perasol.
“Confident tayo that UP can be a contender in women’s basketball, and we believe we have found the right leader to prove that next season.”
Altamirano will be bringing along to Diliman assistants Jeff Perlas, Paolo Layug, Anton Altamirano, and Gilas Women mainstay Mikka Cacho, as UP hopes to bounce back from a 3-11, seventh-place finish in what wound up to be Ramos’ curtain call.
