DIKACHI Ududo has learned that a place on a championship team does not guarantee the same spot the next time around.
The 6-foot-9 Nigerian center was part of the University of the Philippines' UAAP Season 87 title run, only to see his roster spot go away a year later when Francis Nnoruka emerged as the Fighting Maroons' first-choice big.
Even in the ongoing Season 89, Nnoruka remained State U's opening day starter.
That was until the maroon-and-green dropped back-to-back games early on in the tournament, and coach Goldwin Monteverde and staff decided to try out things once more with Ududo - thanks to the league's new rule allowing teams to alternate between two foreign student-athletes.
Since that switch, UP hasn't looked back, winning seven straight and booking the first ticket to the Final Four.
READ: UP re-asserts mastery over Ateneo, reaches eighth straight Final Four
Through it all, the comebacking FSA has posted per game counts of 9.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steals, while holding down the fort and just letting the likes of Veejay Pre and Rey Remogat do their thing.
Safe to say, Ududo himself hasn't looked back, all because his faith didn't let him.
“A lot of this just comes from faith in action, leading me to make good decisions, like not giving up, showing up even when it seems like there's no hope,” he told SPIN.ph.
“I can't control the coach's options for who to play. The only thing I can control is just myself, how hard I work, and where I put my confidence.”
Know your role
And just like in their title run, the 22-year-old big knows full well he's not being called on to carry much burden in terms of scoring. Rather, he's here to make his presence felt on the boards and on defense.
As he put it, “I just won't stop. I won't stop. If you don't stop, you end up winning, right?”
As UP zeroes in on clinching yet another twice-to-beat advantage, Ududo himself would be the first to remind there remain a lot more hurdles in their path to a redemption championship.
And for him and his teammates, consistency will still be key.
“Honestly, I'll humbly say we're doing a good job right now. We just have to be able to be more consistent and sustain. Whatever happens, just keep going,” he said.
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