Winning once is difficult. Winning three straight turns expectation into something heavier.

The De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers return to the half-court for the upcoming University Athletic Association (UAAP) Season 88 3×3 Men’s Basketball Tournament not as challengers, but as champions three times over. But in a format as unforgiving as 3×3, the past offers no guarantees, only expectations.

Just a season ago, the Green Archers stood at the top once again, completing their three-peat in Season 87 through a campaign defined by both dominance and resilience. Led by now-captain Earl Abadam, the lone holdover from their Season 86 championship squad, the Green Archers leaned on both experience and emerging contributors to navigate the pressures of defending their crown. Alongside Abadam were batchmates JC Macalalag and EJ Gollena, with Doy Dungo, who would later earn Finals MVP honors, and Vhoris Marasigan rounding out a group that proved its depth throughout the tournament.

The DLSU Green Archers after achieving the first three-peat in UAAP 3×3 History in Season 87

The team battled through a slow start in Season 87, going in with a 1–2 record before pushing past the University of the East (UE) to secure their spot in the Final Four, later eliminating top-seeded National University (NU) to send themselves back to the Finals vs the University of Santo Tomas (UST).

“We may go through hard stretches of games, but that’s something we need for us to experience to get to where we are now,” Abadam shares, looking back on their three-peat season as one that tested their true character and resilience.

That experience now carries over into Season 88, where the Green Archers return with a more established core. After navigating a season of adjustments and growth, the team enters the new campaign with a better understanding of each other.

Luis Pablo and Lebron Dhaep now join the cast, aiming to help their brothers go the extra mile and achieve the first four-peat in UAAP 3×3 history.

But while the possibility of a fourth straight title looms, the team’s approach to Season 88 centers on the process rather than the outcome.

“We want to be a team that’s so locked in on preparing [through trainings and pre-season tournaments] that by the time UAAP comes, we’re already so attuned to each other and accustomed to how we want to play. That’s going to translate into 3×3.”

In many ways, that focus on preparation has long been a defining trait of the Green Archers. Practices remain competitive, tune-up games are taken seriously, and the many preseason tournaments the team plays in all serve as another step toward refining their game. But beyond the work they put into winning, Abadam believes it is something less tangible that continues to hold the group together and is the secret to their long-running success: trust and brotherhood.

More than just a team chasing another championship, the Green Archers lean on that very sense of brotherhood and trust, one built through shared experiences, both in winning and in struggle, and hope it will carry them through another demanding UAAP campaign.

“It just comes along naturally,” Abadam said. “I believe the bond we share really translates onto the court. I see the same faces every day — we eat together, we watch basketball together, we watch movies together. Everything.”

With that foundation in place, the focus now turns to the finer details as the Green Archers continue their preparations for the half-court.

Success across two different UAAP formats has not changed the Green Archers’ approach to preparation and competition. If anything, it has reinforced the importance of consistency in the small details that sustain winning runs. And of course, mental toughness.

Besides the UAAP Season 87 3×3 three-peat, the team is coming off a championship high after winning the Season 88 5×5 chip, a result of a tough campaign. In a run that echoed their 3×3 journey, the team recovered from early challenges to break into the final four before once again taking down top-seeded NU en route to the Finals, eventually securing their second title in three seasons.

It is through these repeated experiences that the Green Archers have developed what Abadam believes sets them apart from the rest. For him, the answer is simple: the team knows how to win.

“We know how to go through hardships, we know how to go through times where we’re being tested, and how to put our trust in the Lord. That’s our strength.”

And having gone through those moments time and again, the Green Archers now enter Season 88 with more than just experience. It is that familiarity with pressure and adversity that has shaped their confidence, allowing them to approach each new challenge with composure.

That composure, however, does not come from comfort. If anything, it demands even more from a team that has already experienced success in multiple forms. Each training session, each tune-up game, and each return to the half-court serves as a reminder that past achievements offer no guarantees in a format as unforgiving as 3×3.

As they prepare for Season 88, the DLSU Green Archers once again find themselves balancing familiarity with urgency. The core remains, the chemistry is intact, and the experience is undeniable, but so are the expectations that come with it.

If winning once is difficult and winning three straight turns expectation into something heavier, then the Green Archers know they are now living in that reality. Every step into Season 88 comes with the understanding that they are no longer just contenders: they are the benchmark.

Rather than seeing that added attention as pressure, the Green Archers view it as a byproduct of the standard they have built. In a program defined by sustained success, being targeted has become part of the identity rather than a burden.

“A lot of the teams are going to be a lot more detailed against us, and that’s something we appreciate. We’ve built a standard of success here at La Salle.”

In the pursuit of a historic fourth straight title, the goal is not simply to win again, but to stay true to the process that brought them there, one built on preparation, trust, and a shared understanding of what it takes to succeed.

The Green Archers open their UAAP Season 88 3×3 campaign on April 27, returning to the half-court at Ayala Malls Manila Bay.