A day after news broke out that he was leaving the University of Sto. Tomas, CJ Cansino has committed to the University of the Philippines.
Fighting Maroons coach Bo Perasol confirmed the development in a message to ESPN5.
"CJ will be a great addition to ensuring the sustainability of the program, especially with possibly just one player left from last season playing for Season 84," Perason said in a statement. "I will personally help him make the transition to being a Fighting Maroon. CJ will definitely enjoy his stay in UP,"
Cansino was in the center of a social media storm Thursday night after reports surfaced that the talented guard and former UAAP juniors MVP had left the Growling Tigers camp. He released a statement Friday morning confirming he was leaving and said he had been dropped from the team.
"Unang-una sa lahat, UST is my dream school kaya nalulungkot ako sa nangyari. Hinding-hindi ko makakalimutan ang UST and thankful ako sa kanila na binigyan nila ako ng opportunity, pero I need to move on," said Cansino.
"Noong natanggap ko na, na hindi ako puwede sa UST, marami po akong kinausap and kinonsulta. Ang naging pakiramdam ko po ay mas bagay talaga ako sa UP, mas comfortable ako sa UP," he added.
According to UP team manager Atty. Agathon Uvera, Cansino had been on their radar since his days with the Tiger Cubs.
"We wanted him to play for UP when he graduated from UST High School two years ago, but his heart has always been with UST. We are happy and lucky that he chose to be part of the Fighting Maroons this time,"
A UST source said the school had already released Cansino, paving the way for his transfer from España to Diliman where he will join a Fighting Maroons program that has been on a roll in recent months in terms of recruitment.
Former Gilas Youth shooter RC Calimag, Fil-Australians Anton Eusebio and Alonzo Tan, Xavier School big man Miguel Tan, former CEU center Malick Diouf, 6'11 Fil-Australian center Ethan Kirkness, Fil-American point guard Sam Dowd, former La Salle guard Joel Cagulangan, and University of the Visayas hotshot Jancork Cabahug are all in the Fighting Maroons camp. Most recently, Carl Tamayo and Gerry Abadiano of the UAAP juniors champion NU-Nazareth School Bullpups also announced their commitment to UP.
Cansino, Cagulangan, Diouf and Cabahug will all be eligible to play in UAAP Season 84.
Aside from UP, other schools like Ateneo, La Salle and Letran also reportedly showed interest in Cansino, who averaged 8.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in his two seasons with the Tigers. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.