MANILA, Philippines — Former UST skipper CJ Cansino has broken his silence following reports of his departure from the Espana-based squad.
In a statement released Friday, the 20-year-old Cansino said he was reportedly forced to leave the team for undisclosed reasons.
This countered earlier reports that the decision to leave was mutual between Cansino and the Growling Tigers.
"Unang-una sa lahat, UST is my dream school kaya nalulungkot talaga ako sa nangyari," Cansino said in his statement.
"Kung mabibigyan lang ako ng isang rason kahit sobrang daming rason kung bakit aalis ako, mag-stay ako eh. Kasi gusto ko parin maglaro sa UST... Kaya lang, tinanggal ako eh," he added.
The former rookie sensation did not reveal the reasons for his removal from the team, but nevertheess expressed gratitude for his time with the Tigers.
"Sa huli, gusto ko magpasalamat sa mga coaches sa dalawang taon na pagtuturo sa akin para mas mag-improve not just a player pero kung paano rin maging mabuting tao. Sa mga teammate ko na naging pamilya ko na rin, hinding-hindi ko kayo makakalimutan... Hanggang sa muli, UST," he wrote.
A mere hours after his exit from the Growling Tigers, a number of players from different schools have already tried to coax Cansino to sign with their respective teams.
This included UP's Juan Gomez de Liano, Letran's Fran Yu, Ateneo's Dave Ildefonso and NU's Shaun Ildefonso.
Cansino also shared a message for his future team.
"Sa lilipatan ko, pinapangako ko na kung paano ko binigay ang buong puso at pagkatao ko sa UST, ganun din ang makukuha niyo sa akin. Kung ano yung natutunan ko, hindi ko iiwan at dadalhin ko," he said.