Vince Magbuhos was born in Rome, Utaly to Filipino parents who supported him and his brother Wilfrey Jr. to play different sports including football and volleyball. Their father also encouraged them to play basketball, as it could lead to scholarships in the Philippines.
In 2015, the two brothers went home to the Philippines and tried for the University of the East (UE). The trio played for UE in the pre-season but didn't make UE's final lineup.
In 2018, the Magbuhos brothers committed to Adamson University and played for them beginning in Season 81 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) where Vince gutted it out for playing time.
When Vince was lined up by then head coach Franz Pumaren, he joined a talented squad that had Jerick Ahanmisi, Jonathan Espeleta, Sean Manganti, CJ Catapusan, Simon Camacho and Jerie Pingoy.
Vince’s fellow froshes then were Jed Colonia, the heady point guard of the Ateneo de Cebu Magis Eagles, Jerom Lastimosa, forward Ivan Maata, and his own brother, Wilfrey.
Magbuhos looked to be in the mold of former Adamson star Eric Camson, who came off the bench and delivered huge points for the team. His season high was 15 points that year.
In his debut, Vince contributed a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds in an upset win over the Ateneo Blue Eagles. He then scored a season-high 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting along with four steals in a win over the UST Growling Tigers.
The next campaign, Aaron Fermin and AP Manlapaz joined the team with Lenda Dounga taking over from Papi Sarr.
Vince saw his playing time cut in half – from 14 minutes per game to seven. He averaged less than two points per game. His poor start to the season saw him demoted to the bench after that.
By Season 84 ,with the graduation of many of its players including the Filipino-Americans, Magbuhos’ playing time increased. Unfortunately, the player wasn’t fully confident and scored a mere 4.0 points a game.
In Season 85, now with 21 minutes of playing time a match, there were signs of him finding that scoring sock off the bench as the 6-foot-5 forward recorded a UAAP career high of 23 markers at one point. But he finished the season with only 6.7 points per game.
In his final tournament this season, Magbuhos averaged 5.0 points in his first two games – starting both for head coach Nash Racela.
Against Ateneo, Vince scored 11 points and drilled the game-winning 3-pointer that completed an incredible come-from-behind win, 74-71. This was Adamson's first win over Ateneo since Season 81. However, Ateneo got their revenge when they eliminated Adamson for the last Final Four spot.
After the UAAP, the 25-year old dabbled between the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards and the Quezon Huskers in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL).
During the PBA Draft, Magbuhos was picked 19th overall by the Meralco Bolts. Whether he can crack the Bolts' lineup or not, remains to be seen. One thing is certain, though, he can be an asset to the team if given the right opportunity.
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