Hoops world remembers Baterbonia, Adili

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Gone too soon.

What an unfortunate tragedy in the Philippine basketball landscape.

On June 8, 2026, Ateneo de Manila University confirmed the deaths of Rene Baterbonia, 19, and Divine Adili, 21, two members of its men’s basketball varsity team, in a social media post on its official Facebook page.

According to Ateneo’s statement, both basketball players died in a drowning incident during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora.

“The entire Ateneo community mourns the loss of Rene and Divine,” Ateneo wrote in its statement.

“The University extends its heartfelt condolences to their families, friends, teammates, coaches, and loved ones. We ask the community to keep them in their prayers during this most difficult time.”

Baterbonia, a product of Ateneo de Davao University, was one of the offseason recruits of the Blue Eagles in their bid to get out of their UAAP slump.

The athletic center first turned heads during the 2025 Palarong Pambansa, where he helped the Davao Region, or DAVRAA, win its first-ever Palarong Pambansa secondary boys’ championship title.

Baterbonia wrapped up his stellar 2025 Palarong Pambansa campaign by winning the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award and being selected as part of the Mythical Five.

The native of Talacogon, Agusan del Sur, nearly steered DAVRAA to a back-to-back Palarong Pambansa championship, but the team lost to the CALABARZON Heroes in what was tagged as one of the biggest upsets in Palarong Pambansa history.

Meanwhile, Adili was an incoming sophomore for the Blue Eagles and had started several games for head coach Tab Baldwin during UAAP Season 88.

Physical, crafty, and an enforcer for the Blue Eagles, Adili became a key part of Ateneo’s strong start in the first elimination phase of Season 88.

Before taking his talents to Katipunan, Adili made a name for himself in the high school scene, playing for the New Era University Junior Hunters.

Adili’s all-around dominance helped New Era bag back-to-back National Athletic Association of Schools, Colleges, and Universities junior titles, and he was named MVP twice.

“We respectfully ask for privacy and space for all those grieving as they come to terms with this profound loss,” Ateneo continued.

“The University is providing support to the families of Rene and Divine, as well as to their teammates and members of the Ateneo community affected by this tragedy.”