NATIONAL U’s Reinhard Jumamoy had more than a few reasons to circle the Bulldogs’ latest showdown with defending champion La Salle on Sunday.
Last year, the Green Archers trumped twice-to-beat NU in the Final Four en route to winning it all.
Their first meeting in the ongoing UAAP Season 89 also went La Salle’s way.
So come Round 2, the Bulldogs captain gave his all and did it all to change the narrative.
Delivering an all-around 21 points, six assists, five rebounds, and four steals, Jumamoy led the blue-and-gold to an 84-80 victory vs. the Green Archers, while claiming for himself just the tiniest taste of redemption.
“Redemption, revenge para sa amin kasi galing kami ng talo sa kanila,” he told SPIN.ph after the all-important win that kept them at solo second in this ultra-competitive tournament.
READ: NU hangs tough vs La Salle to hold on to solo second
At the same time, going up against La Salle also had a tinge of personal color, as the Cebuano had long looked up to Jacob Cortez, Taft Ave.'s lead guard who can boast of having both NCAA and UAAP titles.
“Si Jacob yung nilu-look up ko as a point guard kasi siya yung defending champion at siya yung nag-lead sa mga kasama niya,” he said. “Masarap sa pakiramdam na sa level of competition namin, nandun naman pala ako. Kumbaga, kayo ko makipagsabayan.”
Of course, Jumamoy acknowledges scoring far from the only thing that matters for a point guard.
If former National U starter Steve Nash Enriquez opted to establish himself as the best defensive guard last season, he wants his identity to be making everyone around him better.
“Gusto ko pagalingin yung mga kasama ko. As a point guard, nandyan na yung score ko eh, kaya dinadasal ko every game na ma-guide ko sila, malagay ko sila sa tamang spots, at mapagaling ko sila,” he said.
Uncage the Bulldogs
To be clear, however, the victory meant much more for the 23-year-old than simply getting back at the team that had been a thorn on their side since a year go.
He wanted his teammates to understand the kind of game they were walking into and how they should treat they as a preview of the bigger battles to come once the playoffs rolls along.
“From last year, sinabihan ko sila na this is a big game. Parang Final Four environment, kaya dapat ready kami,” he shared.
And though the Bulldogs finally have something to celebrate against DLSU, Jumamoy is not about to say the old wounds have been healed.
As he put it, “Konti-konti, nahi-heal na. Kasi nga nanalo kami ngayon, pero hindi pa tapos. Hindi ko sasabihin na na-heal na totally kasi hindi pa namin nakuha yung goal namin.”
Of course, the boys from Jhocson still have their sights set on the championship - and on the way there, another meeting with the Green Archers may be in the offing.
Today, the fourth-year guard and his side finally got to move on from all the heartbreaks at the hands of La Salle.
But with a title still waiting to be claimed, Jumamoy knows there remain bigger scores to settle.
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