BY John Miles Arcenal
NATIONAL U finally put a stop to University of Santo Tomas’ early rampage in UAAP Season 88 - and at the heart of it was a rejuvenated foreign student-athlete (FSA) Omar John.
READ: NU silences noisemakers Akowe, UST to improve to 3-0
Matching up against the league’s most dominant newcomer - and his close pal - Collins Akowe, John saw the duel as more than just a test of strength; it was also a measure of how much he has grown, both as a player and as an individual.
“It’s just competition, but aside from that, he’s my friend,” John said of Akowe, whom he bonded with back when the latter was still with NU-Nazareth School.
“He’s a very good boy. Sometimes we’re doing workouts together. He’s my boy.”
That friendship, however, had to be set aside.
As he put it, “I have to do my job, whatever coach Jeff [Napa] told me to do. I don’t have any excuses. I have to do my role, try to stop him. Thank God I did it. But it’s not done yet, we still have the second round.”
Akowe, the onetime Boys' MVP and first-ever Best Foreign Student-Athlete with the Bullpups, was once being groomed to be the cornerstone for the blue-and-gold's seniors squad.
However, the Nigerian dynamo took his talents to Espana, leaving the Bulldogs with John and Mo Diassana, their FSAs in Seasons 85-86 then 87, respectively.
Napa went with John, trusting that he has hurdled the mental and emotional obstacles that forced him to the sidelines last year.
And for that, the Gambian big is nothing but grateful.
“First of all, it feels good to be back. Missing one season is not that easy. It was also a learning experience. This year I’m looking for a different comeback, and I really think we have the capacity to be champion. We will work for that,” he said.
That work began long before opening day, as he revealed he skipped vacations and even chose to stay at Jhocson during Christmas to prepare.
John also carried lessons from NU's troubles last season, when he was not its FSA - and then they lost Diassana to injury in the first quarter of their first game.
“I felt very bad because if I was there, for sure it’s gonna be a different story. It was very hard for the locals to handle it,” he recalled.
“When I play, we were always in the Top 3, and this year we’re gonna be back on top for sure.”
Indeed, he was Jhocson's man in the middle during its playoff appearances in Seasons 85 and 86.
Omar the barometer
Fast forward to now and the Bulldogs are 3-0 for the first time in the Final Four era, with their FSA posting impressive averages of 11.3 points and 7.7 rebounds.
“I’m not surprised honestly because last year, I worked so hard. Even if I didn’t play for UAAP, I worked very, very hard in every aspect, mentally, physically, spiritually, so it's paying off and the job’s not done yet," he said.
Even better, once prone to losing his cool, John now carries himself with greater maturity.
“That’s a really hard question because before, if I had a bad time, I just put myself down. Right now I’m matured, I just keep playing, focus on what I have to do. Because in basketball there’s a lot of aspects you can do,” he said.
“Now I understand, we have to win as a team. I have to put aside my tantrums, my ego, and just stick to the game plan and support my teammates.”
That growth is much-welcome for Napa and all of National U.
“This guy has changed a lot. We’re so thankful na yung pagbabago niya, for the better, as a player and as a person, talagang nagbe-benefit yung team,” he said.
In turn, John credited Napa’s trust for helping him turn the corner.
“I wanna thank him all the time. He trusted me ever since Day 1. Last year I wasn’t in good shape, that’s why he didn’t want to risk putting me in the lineup. But this year I told him, ‘Coach, I got this for you,’" he said.
"For sure this is gonna be a different NU, trust me.”
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