UAAP History: How the Hardcourt Helped Prepare San Juan Mayor Francis Zamora for City Hall

In October 1999, Francisco Javier M. Zamora played his last college basketball game in front of a Cuneta Astrodome capacity crowd that witnessed a Game 3 for the ages. His De La Salle University Green Archers outlasted a tough UST squad in overtime to clinch a second straight UAAP title. La Salle would later win two more championships at the turn of the century, cementing the Taft-based squad’s dominance in the league with a four-year dynasty.

Twenty-six years later, Zamora is the incumbent mayor of the City of San Juan currently serving his third and final term. He is also the president of the Metro Manila Council as well as the national president of the League of Cities of the Philippines. Despite his political track record, Zamora still considers his days playing basketball for his alma mater as some of his most memorable in his life. The sportsman-turned-politician says his basketball journey has proven to have helped prepare him for the demands of his current role. 

Mayor Francis Zamora showing off his two UAAP championship rings

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Green since grade school

Zamora started playing basketball when he was in fourth grade, shooting hoops at Johnson’s Park in North Greenhills. 

“No one really taught me when I was growing up,” Zamora recalls. “It was more of just playing in our village basketball court and joining inter-village tournaments. I remember the coach would only put me in at the last minute of the game either pag tambak na kami or pag tambak na yung kalaban.” This did not break the young Zamora and only lit a fire under him to further his craft. “Nakakatawa kasi these older kids I used to play with, sila yung mas magagaling and mas malalakas at that time but I eventually grew taller and bigger than them and when I made it to the UAAP later on, they were watching me na,” he says with a chuckle. 

Zamora first played for La Salle Green Hills in sixth grade in the Private Schools Athletic League (PSAL). “I remember our first game was against Marist and I scored 10 points,” Zamora shares. “My teammates were kids from my batch and Dominic Uy, who was one batch ahead.” 

1998 De La Salle University Green Archers

Uy and Zamora played together from grade school to college and even in the semi-pro ranks. “Dominic was the best player of LSGH during our time,” he says. Zamora also played in various leagues such as Pasarelle, PRADA, MMBL and PAYA Aspirants before cracking the lineup of the PAYA Juniors team.

“The most competitive tournament LSGH was part of during our time was PAYA. When I was in third year high school, it was LSGH vs. Claret in the finals and we played Mac Cuan and Choochoo Serrano,” Zamora recounts. He would later become teammates with Cuan in DLSU while Serrano joined the UP Maroons. “The following year, we played against Xavier School for the PAYA championship. We lost both years,” he adds with a laugh. Although his team didn’t bring home the trophy, Zamora was the only player from that game that would eventually make it to the UAAP. 

‘It’s actually not easy to make it to the UAAP’

Zamora was not recruited and had to fight for a spot in La Salle. He redshirted his freshman year of college in 1995 and instead played for DLSU’s Team B with then-Coach Virgil Villavicencio. “I continued to push myself and I made the team under Coach Jong Uichico the following year.” 

Zamora played sparingly in 1996 but in his second year, Zamora became part of Uichico’s starting unit after just a few games into the season. “I knew my role,” he says. “I was there to defend, get rebounds, and hustle. I enjoyed what I was doing.” All this was happening as the Chicago Bulls were creating their own dynasty in the NBA during the ‘90s.

“Everybody wanted to be like Michael Jordan but I really wanted to be Dennis Rodman,” Zamora says. “That’s where I made my mark. I would always defend the best big man of the opposing team, I would get the rebounds, I would free up Renren Ritualo through good screens and I enjoyed all that.”

UAAP Season 61 DLSU Green Archers

DLSU lost to UST in the finals of Zamora’s rookie season but in 1997, the Green Archers finally defeated the Tigers in the final four and went on to play Far Eastern University in the finals, where they eventually fell 0-2. 

“Beating UST in the final four felt like the championship  because they would always beat us every year during their four-peat from 1993 to 1996 but we ended their four-year championship run,” Zamora points out. 

When Franz Pumaren became head coach in 1998, Zamora’s hard work turned up a notch because of Pumaren’s vaunted full-court press defense.

“In both the ’98 and ’99 seasons, I was the one defending the inbounder. As the ball got in play, I would be the doubler from the backcourt all the way to the frontcourt. I was the one running around, getting tired, and I didn’t mind that because that was my role. It was what the coach expected me to do and that was my contribution to the championships,” Zamora narrates. “I was perfectly okay with my role. We had Don Allado, who was then the two-time UAAP MVP. Not everyone can be the star player but I knew I was contributing to my team and I was valuable in that sense. Every team needs someone willing to do the dirty work.”

Zamora clinched his first championship with DLSU in 1998 against FEU and won another one the following year at UST’s expense to end his college career with two UAAP titles. “I was team captain of that 1999 back-to-back championship team,” he reminisces. “My four years in the UAAP will always be the best years of my college life. The electricity that comes with being a UAAP player and more so, being a UAAP champion—it’s a very surreal experience. It’s something special that I’ll always look back on.” 

Zamora winning a PBL championship with Welcoat

The PBA Dream

After his collegiate playing career, Zamora turned his sights to his childhood dream of playing in the PBA. He had already gained much-needed amateur experience in the Philippine Basketball League (PBL) while still in college. 

“My first PBL conference was with Blu Detergent before my last UAAP season. I came in post-Asi Taulava so you can just imagine the big shoes I had to fill,” he says. Zamora exhibited the same blue-collar mentality in the commercial league, where hauling down rebounds was more a priority than getting on the scoreboard. He became Blu’s starting center and the following conference, Zamora rejoined the core of DLSU at Welcoat to go on and win two PBL championships.   

Zamora applied for the 2001 PBA Draft, a draft class with a bumper crop of talent that included future stars Willie Miller, Mark Caguioa, and Roger Yap. Zamora was the 35th overall pick, ahead of fifth round selections Peter June Simon and Topex Robinson.

“I was drafted by Coach Norman Black of the Sta. Lucia Realtors in the fourth round. I practiced with Marlou Aquino and Dennis Espino for about a month,” he remembers.

Unfortunately, a trade by Sta. Lucia that would have led to a contract for Zamora did not materialize. “I went back to the PBL and Coach Leo Isaac took me in with the Montana Jewels. He gave me the biggest break of my basketball career,” Zamora recalls about going unsigned. “It really depends on how the coach harnesses a player’s talent. Coach Leo gave me the confidence and I was really playing the best basketball of my life. I was even getting double-doubles at halftime.”

The Zamoras with Kevin Quiambao after Game 3 of the UAAP Season 86 Finals

It wasn’t long before Zamora’s impressive numbers caught the attention of PBA teams. He received a call from Ryan Gregorio, who was then head coach at Purefoods. “He asked me if I had an escape clause in my contract with Montana. He wanted to get me to play for Purefoods, which was something I dreamt of all my life,” Zamora says. He grew up a fan of the franchise and in fact, chose to wear #16 because of Alvin Patrimonio. What happened next is very telling of the kind of person Zamora is. Defining moments irrevocably alter the trajectory of one’s life. These opportunities, like falling stars, don’t come around very often so you catch them or they’re gone forever.

“I could not leave Coach Leo. Without him, I would not have gotten that break so I politely begged off. I knew it was the right thing to do,” he recalls. “After one week, Leo Isaac was replaced by a new coach and I eventually lost my spot in Montana’s rotation. I called Coach Ryan but it was too late. They had already signed someone else.”

Moving On

After his brush with almost making it to the pros, Zamora finished his obligations with Montana that PBL conference and played a final one with good friends Dominic Uy, Mike Cortez and James Yap at ICTSI-La Salle. “I realized the PBA really wasn’t my destiny. During that last conference, I got married and started a family. I retired early from basketball at 24,” he reflects.  In 2003, he and his wife Keri both pursued further studies in New York: a business and entrepreneurship program in NYU and fashion programs in Parsons and FIT, respectively. With them was their eldest child and only daughter, Amanda, who was just a few months old at the time.

Mayor Francis Zamora with youngest son Noah at a La Salle Green Hills game

“That experience opened my perspective to the fact that life is not all about basketball,” he says. In 2004, he joined his father’s local campaign in San Juan. Ronaldo Zamora was first elected as assemblyman in 1978 and later became congressman in 1987 when the House of Representatives was reinstated after the EDSA Revolution. The older Zamora, a La Sallian himself who attended grade school and high school at De La Salle College in Taft before pursuing Political Science and Law at the University of the Philippines, graduated magna cum laude from both and was the bar topnotcher in 1969. He also served as assistant executive secretary for legal affairs and executive secretary to two former presidents, aside from his 29 non-consecutive years as congressman of San Juan.

“I grew up with this life of public service. His campaign in 2004 ignited this passion in me and made me realize this was something I wanted to do,” the younger Zamora says. “I spoke to my dad after that campaign and told him I wanted to run for councilor. At first, he was very hesitant and told me I wouldn’t like it. Politics is dirty. He wasn’t supportive at all but I was out to prove that I could reach this goal of mine. That’s how I am. I was never recruited at DLSU but through hard work, determination and perseverance, I made it to the UAAP. Using the same formula, I really pushed myself in San Juan in terms of rising from the ranks.” 

Zamora became city councilor in 2007 before winning as vice mayor in the 2010 and 2013 elections. “Losing UAAP championships to UST and FEU taught me how to rise again coming from tough losses. In 2016, I lost my first run as mayor by 1,000 votes or just two percent of the actual votes but I did not let that setback demoralize me,” Zamora shares. He ran again for mayor in 2019 and won the elections overwhelmingly, putting an end to the 50-year Estrada dynasty in San Juan. 

“My dad was always there for my big UAAP games. He would always be there in the crowd cheering for me. Now that I’m mayor, he’s my biggest fan,” he shares. “Every opportunity I get, I tell him ‘Dad, I hope I’ve made you proud.’ He always answers in the affirmative and that’s really something I’m happy I’ve been able to do.” 

Zamora with wife Keri back in college

Family Matters

Zamora’s mother Rose has been an equally influential presence. “I learned the value of hard work from my mom. She was a garments exporter and was always into business. That’s where I got being hardworking from,” he says. “Both my parents would watch my games along with my late sister Chelo. She was from Ateneo and she passed away in 2008 due to leukemia.”

Being there for each other seems to be something that’s very important for the Zamoras, a value that’s been passed on from one generation to the next. “I’ve always been present for all my kids’ milestones. If you really want to make time for your children, you can. Even with my very busy schedule, I’m still able to find time to be with them,” he says. “They won’t be young forever and they’ll eventually have their own families but they can look back on their younger years and say, ‘my dad and mom were there for me.’”

The Zamora kids bleed green just like their parents. Amanda graduated from DLSU and just recently earned a master’s degree in Marketing Intelligence from Fordham University after also completing a program in finance from UCLA.

“My three boys are also from La Salle. Rocco, our eldest son, played in the NCAA for the La Salle Green Hills Greenies and he’s now part of Team B of DLSU. He recently got to play in the Filoil Pre-season Cup and the Pinoyliga tournament. I’m letting him enjoy the experience and I tell him to just keep on pushing the same way I did,” Zamora says. “My other son Nicolas is not into basketball but he has another set of skills and interests.” Nicolas has found golf as his calling and he and his father find time to bond over the sport when the mayor’s schedule permits. 

The youngest Zamora sibling Noah has vastly improved in skill and athleticism in just the past year and had the unique opportunity to work out with NBA trainer Chris Brickley in New York City in June. Both Rocco and Noah have been wearing their dad’s number when they play for their school, something that has tugged on their father’s heartstrings. “Very nostalgic yung Zamora with the #16. Wearing it then and with Rocco and Noah wearing it now, it feels good seeing na yung #16 na pinaghirapan ko talaga, ngayon sila na ang gumagamit. Nakakatuwa when you see your children following in your footsteps.” 

The 47-year-old mayor makes it a point to be there to guide and support his children in whatever they choose to do. “To my kids, whatever their dreams are and whatever they want to achieve in the future, they really have to work hard for it, push themselves, and go the extra mile,” he says. “It has been a formula that has worked for me so many times in my life, in basketball and in my public service career in San Juan.”

Animo Always

Whenever the UAAP season comes around, Zamora has become somewhat of a fixture courtside. “I always watch La Salle games as much as I can. It’s my way of supporting my alma mater,” he says. In 2023, a few former players led by Zamora initiated an undertaking meant to honor the past and inspire that season’s roster of Green Archers. 

“Although we won championships, we never experienced receiving championship rings,” Zamora shares. With the help of DLSU alumni, all past basketball teams since 1998 who won UAAP championships for La Salle but never received rings were honored and given their own hardware. “What’s funny was La Salle lost Game 1 to UP right after the ring ceremony. We all thought, oh my gosh, we hope we didn’t jinx it,” he laughs. “We know the ceremony inspired the players then because they wanted to get their own rings as well. La Salle came back from that loss and won that season’s championship.”

The Zamoras at the DLSU Championship Ring Ceremony (l-r Nicolas, Amanda, Keri, Francis, Noah & Rocco)

For Zamora, one of the most exciting moments playing in the UAAP was when they would call out the starting five. “I’m getting goosebumps now just thinking about it. They would call us one by one, La Salle’s drums in the background, and the announcer would say, ‘At power forward, #16 Francis Zamora.’ Iba yung feeling talaga when you run onto the court. Sulit lahat ng pagod,” he shares. 

“My experience playing for La Salle molded my character. It taught me perseverance, determination, resiliency, to have discipline in mind and body, and I have brought all these values with me to where I am today.”