GELO Santiago made it clear that all he cares about is winning - nothing more, nothing less.
"Basketball pa rin naman. Wala naman bago para sa akin," he said on the heels of his return after serving a five-game disciplinary action by the league.
READ: NU gets back Gelo Santiago in time for semis showdown vs La Salle
National U welcomed him with open arms on Wednesday, in time for the Final Four of the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament. Unfortunately, that ended up in an 87-77 loss to La Salle, as the top seed lost its twice-to-beat edge.
Santiago, as expected, brought grit in his 20 minutes on the floor in tallying two points, four rebounds, and two steals.
"Focus ko lang naman is depensa which is yun din naman ang role ko sa team," he said, knowing all too well that as much as he would have wanted to make up for lost time, he couldn't be too overeager when his number was called.
"Wala naman. Kahit naman ilang games akong hindi nakalaro, kasama pa rin nila ako sa practice, so I'd like to think di naman ako masyado nanggigil."
READ: NU gets wake-up call to keep proving itself now in Final Four
What's clear, however, is that there's no more tomorrow for Santiago and the rest of the Bulldogs, as they head to that do-or-die clash against the very same Green Archers on Saturday.
"Gaya nga ng sabi ni coach [Jeff Napa], yung emotions talaga kailangan naming i-manage. Alam naman namin yung capacity ng team at alam naming kaya namin," he said. "One last ride kumbaga."
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