By Lee Benjamin
WITHOUT a doubt, Enoch Valdez left it all on the Araneta Coliseum floor for his final game for Lyceum of the Philippines University in the NCAA.
The 6-foot-3 wing played all but seven minutes, scored 28 points, and grabbed seven rebounds as the second-seeded and twice-to-beat Pirates lost to San Beda. And for most of the time, he was on Red Lions star Jacob Cortez who was handcuffed to just seven points on 2-of-8 shooting.
READ San Beda repeats over Lyceum, reaches NCAA Finals vs Mapua
"Ini-stop ko na siya ha. Biruin mo, from 28 points to seven points, ang layo talaga. Tapos iiskor pa ako sa kabila," he said. "Pero panalo pa rin (sila)?! Iinom ako mamaya."
The soon-to-be Mythical selection did his part on Cortez days after bemoaning their lack of execution of the defensive strategy against the San Beda gunner.
In the do-or-die match, LPU - mainly through Valdez - did stop Cortez. San Beda's other young guns, however, came through with James Payosing and Jomel Puno firing 18 and 15 points, respectively, to help carry their side to their first finals since 2019.
Still, Valdez's all-out effort didn't escape the attention of Red Lions mentor Yuri Escueta who said, "Enoch never stopped. Grabe. He kept on attacking us."
"What's nice about Enoch is yung competitive nature niya, yung character niya. Makikita mo talagang nagde-develop 'yung LPU ng players with character. Nothing but respect for LPU and Enoch," Escueta added.
Now that he has played for the Pirates for the last time and moves on to the PBA with NLEX, Valdez may forever wonder what could've been, but at the same time, can rest assured he gave it his all.
"Wala. Banderang kapos ulit e. Para sa 'kin sana, kahit naitawid ko man lang hanggang finals," he said. "At least, dito (Game 2), nabigay ko yung best ko. Ok ako."
No regrets - that has been the guiding principle for the now-24-year-old from the time he crossed over from Letran to his farewell in LPU.
"No regrets, siyempre. Sabi ko naman talaga nung nag-decide ako [na lumipat], dapat 'di ako magsisisi sa desisyon ko," he said. "Swerte rin naman ako na napunta ako sa Lyceum kasi kahit papaano, na-guide ako ni kuya CJ [Perez], nag-improve din ako."
Valdez doesn't regret move
Valdez was the driving force behind the Squires' Final Four run back in Season 93 and was, of course, offered a spot in their seniors squad. It was a Team B spot, however, as the Knights then still had the likes of Bong Quinto and Jerrick Balanza in the wings.
At the other side of Intramuros, LPU - then led by Topex Robinson - told Valdez they had a place for him right away. It also didn't hurt that Perez, whom Valdez idolizes and has been compared to, was still donning the maroon and silver then.
Six years since that decision, Valdez has placed himself in LPU lore alongside Perez and Marcelino twins Jaycee and Jayvee. He may have missed out on Letran's three-peat, but he proved to be a key cog in the Pirates' resurgence even after the exit of Robinson, Perez, and the Marcelinos.
"Nagpalasalamat ako sa LPU. Parang ayoko na nga umalis e kasi doon, alam ko na safe ako. Tinutulungan nila ako kahit anumang mangyari," he said.
Technically, Valdez still has one game to play for the Pirates, who will duel College of St. Benilde in the NCAA's first-ever battle for third. He has already stated, though, that he's skipping that game to give experience to their younger players.
And so, in his final game for LPU, he has no regrets about how the last six years have gone.
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.
