BY John Miles Arcenal
WITH National U needing somebody to fill the void left by suspended wing Gelo Santiago, Paul Francisco has stepped in flawlessly.
With his fellow glue guy out, Francisco rose to the occasion, firing 14 points on a perfect 4/4 shooting from the field - including a spotless 3/3 from deep - while adding two rebounds, three assists, and three steals to help the Bulldogs repeat against La Salle last Sunday.
READ: NU still No. 1 after passing tough test put up by La Salle
But for the two-way player, it wasn’t just about numbers - it was about playing for his brother.
“I just wanted to play for Gelo,” he said. “We came in together during our residency, so yeah, that’s like my guy, my brother. I just wanted to shoot the ball, play for him, and step up because we won’t have Gelo for the second round.”
Their bond runs deep, and with both sharing the same position and defensive role, the 6-foot-2 Fil-Canadian knows exactly what Santiago brings to the blue-and-gold.
“Gelo is our glue guy. He does a lot for the team offensively and defensively,” Francisco told SPIN.ph.
“He just told us - me, Mark [Parks], and Nat [Tulabut] that we have to step up for him. And I think we showed that today.”
Two-way player Paul
Even when foul trouble tested his rhythm, Francisco’s confidence didn’t waver.
“Coach Jeff [Napa] just emphasized being aggressive on defense,” he said. “I think the refs didn’t really like my aggressiveness, but that’s what I can do just bring energy.”
That aggressiveness came through when it mattered most, though, especially at the other end, as when he checked back into the game in the payoff period, Francisco immediately hit a crucial and-one three-pointer that flipped the momentum back to Jhocson’s favor.
“I really want to shout out coach Kevin De Castro,” he stressed, talking about Napa's longtime assistant. “Before I subbed in, he told me, ‘The momentum’s on their side. Do what you can to flip it to ours.’ That really stuck in my head when I was on the court.”
With four games left in the elimination round, Francisco knows the job isn’t done for top-ranked NU. But for now, he’s just proud to carry the load for his brother.
As he put it, “Just stepping up more defensively, bringing that intensity every game, and not letting my foot off the gas pedal. We want to finish strong, so we can get that twice-to-beat advantage.”
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