THE eligibility issue behind him, Francis Lopez savored the special chance to finally play for the UP Maroons.
The 20-year-old Fil-Angolan was allowed to play for UP despite having signed a contract with American pro league Overtime Elite in 2021.
READ: UP Maroons live up to preseason billing with rout of Adamson
Lopez had five points, 13 rebounds, one block, and one steal in a big opening win over Adamson.
"Really thankful for another opportunity to build up my name. Hopefully I can do that. I'm just really happy that I’m able to play in this college which is UP and I wanna thank everybody who helped me get this opportunity to play in the UAAP," Lopez said.
"When it comes to games, you gotta do everything and whatever you have to do to help the team win. That’s a huge break for us," he added.
Lopez was one of seven UP rookies to debut against Adamson.
"I’m happy about the team win, that’s all. About my performance, that’s besides the point but right now, we got our first W and hopefully we can do even more in the coming games," the UP rookie said.
"I was surprised about the crowd. There was a lot of people and that built up my confidence. Hopefully in the coming games, they will continue to support us and I think they will," he revealed.
"We gotta stay ready as we are. We gotta be more focused about the next game. UE’s a tough team and we got our first win against UST. Hopefully, we can scout them well and get the win."
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