ARIEL Sison was a split-second away from giving up his basketball dream to give Emilio Aguinaldo College a chance to start anew.
But Ken Villapando’s attempt to win the game at the buzzer went in and out as the Generals escaped the San Sebastian Stags in overtime to get their first win in the NCAA Season 94.
While ending their skid, the win also gave Sison a reason to stay and keep fighting.
“I thought you know, just to be honest with you, last night I thought that if I won’t win today I will resign. That’s the least I can do so that the team will win,” said a teary-eyed Sison after their match on Friday.
“Thank God, narinig niya yun. Di ko alam kung paano kami nanalo, basta nanalo kami, yun na lang,” he added. “Ang akin lang naman yung school e. Kung di ko kayang ipanalo then someone else will be doing it for us.”
After three frustrating losses against Lyceum, Arellano and Perpetual and a demoralizing defeat against San Beda, Sison admitted that he was already at the lowest point of his three-year career with the Generals.
The school dean-turned-coach admitted that negative thoughts has played in his mind in that horror stretch. He had been living the dream of coaching an NCAA team – but during the start of this season, that took a turn into a bad nightmare.
For now though, Sison can breathe easy.
“Totoo yun. Talagang inaano ko sa sarili ko, sa situation ko ngayon baka hindi ako makakuha ng panalo e. That’s what I am afraid of, not for myself but for my team,” Sison explained.
“Buti nalang nakuha to ngayon. Maybe that’s a sign. Thank God na binigyan niya ako ng pag-asa na makabalik na sa next game.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
