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    Yankie Haruna relishes return to Benilde after long injury layoff

    Returning Blazers forward embraces captaincy
    Jun 28, 2018

    TO call Yankie Haruna’s shoulder injury last year “unfortunate” is an understatement, with the 24-year-old cager going down just a week before the start of the NCAA season.

    Forced to watch from the sidelines, he felt helpless as St. Benilde struggled to get things done and finished the year at eighth place with its 4-14 record.

    But that inaction only added fuel to Haruna’s burning desire to deliver for the Blazers.

    And with Season 94 looming, the Filipino-American standout couldn’t be more overjoyed that his long wait is finally over.

    “I’m really excited. Missing one season for me is kind of a setback that I had to get myself more organized,” he said ahead of his second year suiting up for the Blazers.

    Haruna, though, will have a heavier burden on his shoulders this time around with him being designated as the team captain. But if there’s one thing he learned from his road to recovery, it’s that he’s tougher and more mature to handle the situation given to him.

    “As a captain, you have to hold everybody accountable, make sure I always get their back, make sure I always have their backs. As a captain, I just want to do my job,” said the 6-foot-3 forward.

    That bodes well for St. Benilde, which has been regarded as this year’s dark horse thanks to its stellar showing in the preseason tournaments.

    Haruna acknowledges the situation the Blazers are in, but argued that the heightened expectations vested on the team aren’t really bothering them.

    “We had a lot of new guys coming in, so we just play our game and let the game speak for itself,” he said.

    “People should expect us to play hard and contribute when it comes to scoring and defense. We play as a team, so sometimes, some of us are gonna have a bad night and someone has to step up. So it’s all about stepping up and just make do what we have.”

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