BY John Miles Arcenal
NIC Cabañero reminded everyone that he’s still UST’s top gun.
Shaking off his struggles in their opener against University of the Philippines, the Growling Tigers’ team captain bounced back with a 27-point explosion to steer University of Santo Tomas past De La Salle University in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
READ: UST keeps living up to the hype after takedown of La Salle
For Cabañero, their win against last year’s finalists wasn’t just about redemption, but also proof of the Tigers’ potential against the league’s best.
“It’s too early for now, focus lang kami one game at a time,” he said after the Tigers improved to 2-0.
“Hindi lang La Salle at UP yung nilolook forward namin kalabanin kasi I know na other teams are good - Ateneo, NU, FEU, UE, pati Adamson. Hindi talaga namin ina-underestimate lahat.”
His bounce-back performance, he explained, was about staying locked in as they marked their first win against La Salle in 10 years.
“I just gotta bounce back, stay ready. Just doing what the coaches want me to do. Bilang senior din kasi, you need to lead the team,” he stated.
Cabañero also shared the importance of having their main playmaker and co-captain Forthsky Padrigao this time after being sidelined due to suspension in their opener.
“Meron kaming floor general, alam niya kung saan kami mag-spots, alam niya kung saan ipapasa and everything. I think he had a great game today, maybe 10 assists and 13 points. I believe naman na he’s doing great.”
While Cabañero carried the scoring load, he emphasized that UST’s win was also about seizing opportunities as a team when someone is struggling.
“Ganoon lang talaga, whenever binibigyan ng opportunity ni Lord to showcase their talent, just be ready,” he added.
With the statement win, and with Cabañero back in his groove, UST looks every bit capable of making noise this season and even bringing the glory back to España.
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