6’3 Fil-Aussie Barret joins revamped UST Basketball Program
by Ernest Martin Tuazon & Charles Joseph Nicolas
The mayhem continues as the UST Growling Tigers secures Fil-Aussie freshman winger Elijah Barret.
The six-foot-three forward formerly donned the colors for Old School Basketball in Australia and competed in the Western Sydney Basketball Association and Basketball New South Wales’ respective youth leagues.
Barret saw a great opportunity in UST’s basketball program and turned down the offer of two other schools.
“The reason why I decided to choose UST is [that] because I felt that the other offers weren’t at the right time as I needed to complete my grade 12 studies [in those schools],” he said in an exclusive interview with TomasinoWeb.
Barret’s decision to commit his talents to UST was also heavily influenced by his parents, Kaz and Emerson Barret, who were former Thomasians themselves.
“I am happy to follow in the same path they took and hope to improve as a player under the guidance of coach Jinino Manansala,” he added.
Barret’s advantage as a former track and field athlete allowed him to develop skills that can serve as his upside in playing basketball.
“I feel like my athleticism and speed on the court will help not just me, but UST [to] consistently win in the UAAP.”
Barret will be eligible to play come UAAP Season 84 alongside a stacked UST rookie class which includes Jordi Gomez de Liano, Nicael Cabanero, Royce Mantua, Kean Baclaan, and Dave Maghirang.
