JAKE Figueroa has been around just about long enough to understand what happens when a twice-to-beat advantage slips through your fingers.
He wasn’t necessarily there when it happened, but he knows the story by heart.
In 2013, National U stood exactly where his Bulldogs stand today. One win away from the Finals, armed with momentum, favorites on paper.
And then, in two nights, it all evaporated.
Kevin Ferrer and University of Santo Tomas defeated twice-to-beat and Ray Parks-led NU in Season 76, and the title dreaming-Bulldogs exited the Final Four stunned.
It is the cautionary tale whispered every time the blue-and-gold enters the playoffs with leverage.
Fast forward to today and after a 77–87 loss to La Salle stripped away top-seeded National U's cushion, Figueroa now feels the wrong side of history breathing down his neck.
“Do-or-die na. Ayaw na namin maulit yung nangyari,” he told SPIN.ph.
Figueroa did everything he could to prevent this because after melting into the background in their flat eliminations ending against the Growling Tigers, the Kapampangan senior returned with intent, finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.
The aggression the Bulldogs had been begging for was back.
“Yun yung hinahanap sa akin, yung aggressiveness sa loob ng board,” he said.
But even his revival couldn’t cover the cracks.
Figueroa’s stat line came with a shadow of eight turnovers, more than half of team’s total.
“Parang walang kapuso-puso yung defense namin kanina. Ikinatalo talaga namin yung defense,” he admitted.
“Gusto lang talaga namin bumawi. Gagawin namin yung best namin,” he added of the sudden death between the two teams on Saturday afternoon.
Do (NU Bulldogs) get deja vu?
Figueroa wasn’t even in high school when NU fell apart in 2013. But he has heard enough stories to know it is the wound the program never forgets.
And he wants no part of it.
“Hindi pwede maulit,” he said.
For this Bulldogs team, the fear isn’t failure - it’s familiarity.
Another twice-to-beat advantage wasted. Another top seed undone. Another headline about ghosts.
This coming clash inside the Big Dome is the last chance to write something different.
There is no more safety net and it boils down to his possibly last 40-minute action in the UAAP.
For Figueroa and Co., the last thing they want is for the ghost of 2013 to return. Instead, what they’re chasing is the memory of a year later, when National U rose from heartbreak and ended a five decade title drought.
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