BY John Miles Arcenal
When JD Cagulangan capped off his collegiate career, questions about who would take over his place as lead guard for the University of the Philippines naturally surfaced.
But for Rey Remogat, that playmaker taking over, the challenge isn’t about being the next Cagulangan, it’s about being the first Remogat.
Coming off a year of residency, the 5-foot-10 guard drew inspiration from his predecessor, as he fully embraced his new role with the Fighting Maroons.
“Lagi lang ako ready talaga. If ever man anong mangyari sa team, kailangan gampanan ko yung role ko,” he told SPIN.ph.
In turn, Cagulangan not only passed the torch onto Remogat, the former also passed on more than a few words of wisdom to the latter.
“I-enjoy mo lang yung moment, ilaro mo lang yung laro mo. Sinabi niya sa'kin, kaya ka naman kinuha dito kasi may nakita sila sa'yo and yun yung ipakita mo,” the latter shared.
Of course, pressure is part of the job, especially taking over for a UAAP champion and school legend. With coach Goldwin Monteverde's philosophy very much ingrained in him, however, Remogat welcomed all of it with open arms.
As he put it, “Yung pressure naman, lagi nandyan eh. Nasa kung paano mo i-handle. Kailangan ko i-handle na at the same time, nag-e-enjoy ako.”
READ: Remogat turns cold shooting night into cool comeback for UP
It doesn't hurt, then, to have veterans like Terrence Fortea and Janjan Felicilda helping him navigate his way through the transition.
“Sobrang laking tulong kasi sila talaga yung nakakaalam ng system ni coach Gold dahil since high school, magkakasama na sila. Out of the court, nakakausap ko sila about sa system para maka-catch up ako agad kay coach Gold,” Remogat said of Fortea and Felicilda, who came up from NU-Nazareth School alongside Monteverde.
Two-way Rey
And in his one-year residency, Remogat zoned in on his defense, which he saw as his major weakness since his days starring for UE.
“From UE, parang liability ako sa defense,” he said with honesty. “Pero ngayon, yun yung trinabaho ko. Ayokong ganun pa rin yung tingin ng ibang tao."
"At the same time, tumaas din yung IQ ko kasi mas matatalino yung mga nakasama ko, mas matatalino yung coaching staff, and malaking tulong yun.”
Now, as UP aims to defend its title, Remogat is focused on finding where he can contribute most to the team.
“Gawin ko lang yung role ko as point guard. Hanapin ko lang kung saan ako pwede makatulong sa team para makakuha yung back-to-back,” he said.
And in that pursuit, Remogat isn’t following in anyone’s footsteps - he’s carving his own path in State U.
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