MANILA, Philippines – The UST Growling Tigers strengthened the talent pool of returning head coach Pido Jarencio by securing the commitment of one-and-done Filipino-American prospect Chase Lane. 

The development was confirmed to Rappler on Saturday, February 18, by Lane’s handler, coach Erik Quintana of Familia Basketball in Maryland, Washington, DC. 

Lane, 24, stands at 6-foot-4 and has the skillset to play either of the guard positions, or even slide up to small forward in the Philippine basketball scene, according to Quintana. He is eligible for UAAP Season 86 this year. 

Described as a “slasher,” Lane was pursued by championship-caliber programs in both the NCAA and UAAP but ultimately decided to play for UST because of the opportunity to earn more playing time. 

Jarencio – who’s on his second go with the UST basketball program after a successful stint where he steered the Tigers to the 2006 UAAP crown – will have the chance to utilize a one-two punch in the wings with both Lane and superb scorer Nic Cabañero.

Born in East Hampton, New York, Lane played the first two years of his American collegiate career with Hill College in Texas before playing US NCAA Division I basketball with the Tarleton State Texans in the 2021-2022 season.

Lane, who is born to a Filipina mother, then played US NCAA Division II hoops as a senior for the Claflin Panthers in the Peach Belt Conference.

UST is also in the process of recruiting more talent to join Jarencio’s Growling Tigers and improve on their 3-11 and 1-13 records during Season 84 and Season 85, respectively, last year.

That talent core, to name a few, now includes Lane, Cabañero, Echo Laure, Kenji Duremdes, and Adama Faye, the team’s foreign student-athlete big man who has two years left of playing eligibility. – Rappler.com