Former NCAA Finals MVP James Payosing Leaves San Beda for UP

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons landed another gem after former NCAA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) James Payosing confirmed his transfer from the San Beda Red Lions.

UP then made everything official on March 6, 2025, after announcing Payosing’s arrival in the UAAP, marking their first significant acquisition in the off-season.

“An NCAA champion, a Finals MVP, now a Fighting Maroon. Moving to don a darker shade of red, welcome to UP, James Payosing!” UP posted on their official men’s basketball Facebook page.

Payosing played a pivotal role during San Beda’s NCAA championship campaign last Season 99 after averaging 9.7 points and 12.7 rebounds which was enough for him to be hailed as the Finals MVP.

The combo guard dissected the Mapua Cardinals’ defensive schemes during that grueling Finals series and hit several big shots that helped San Beda end their NCAA championship drought.

After turning heads in Season 99, Payosing reportedly garnered interest from several UAAP schools but chose to stay with San Beda for their championship title defense.

Unfortunately, Payosing and the rest of the Red Lions failed to repeat and also didn’t punch a ticket to the grand finals. Mapua later on capped off their redemption season with the golden trophy.

Despite falling short of a back-to-back quest, Payosing still balled out for San Beda and ended the recent NCAA season with 7.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game.

Payosing’s arrival in UP indicated the establishment of their long-term plan for the Fighting Maroons basketball program as their senior backcourt pool of Harold Alarcon, Gerry Abadiano, Terrence Fortea, and Janjan Felicilda will only have one more year of eligibility left in the UAAP.

However, Payosing will have to sit out the upcoming UAAP season due to the league’s residency rules and will be ready when Season 89 kicks off in 2026.