LOSING the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball crown to La Salle in the way University of the Philippines still stings to this day for incoming Fighting Maroons senior JD Cagulangan.
Up by four points with six minutes left in the title series’ winner-take-all Game Three, Cagulangan & Co. fired blanks in the closing stretch and fell by the wayside after a 7-2 La Salle run ended the school's seven-year title drought.
The former La Salle Greenhills hotshot, who dished out eight points, four assists, and three rebounds for UP, could only watch in agony and heartbreak as his former Greenie cohort Evan Nelle and the Green Archers lifted college basketball’s top prize.
But one thing’s for sure — what didn't kill the Fighting Maroons will only make them stronger from here on out.
“‘Yung last season, sa’kin mas mabigat siya. I came from that school, La Salle (Greenhills) ‘di ba? Gusto kong manalo that year, especially La Salle ‘yun, and ‘yung community pa ng La Salle,” said Cagulangan.
“Suddenly, hindi namin nakuha ‘yung panalo. Until now, dala-dala namin siya pero ‘di namin siya bitbit-bitbit at ‘di namin pwede siya kalimutan. Nandyan lang siya (‘yung sakit),
The graduating Fighting Maroon star guard did point out how despite such a tough pill to swallow, UP will channel the pain of Season 86 to fuel them when the going gets tough in their forthcoming title reclamation bid.
“Kumbaga kung nandun na kami sa point na ‘yung mga katawan namin sumusuko na, ‘yung utak namin sumusuko na, babalikan namin ‘yung (Season 86). Balik ulit sa process namin towards Season 87,” Cagulangan said.
Start 'em young
Only four holdovers from UP’s historic Season 84 champion team remain eligible for Season 87 — Cagulangan being one of them. The rest? Fighting Maroons head coach Goldwin Monteverde’s trifecta of former NU-Nazareth Bullpups Harold Alarcon, Gerry Abadiano and Terrence Fortea.
That said, tantamount to a triumphant title bid will be a fully-equipped young core of rising stars guided by the team’s seniors and veteran figures.
“‘Yung (Season 84 championship) experience na ‘yun, ma-sshare namin sa mga young guns namin, sa mga bata namin kung paano namin trinabaho ‘yung season na ‘yun. Importante sa’min sa part ng mga veterans na malaman ng mga bata kung ano ‘yung naranasan namin ‘yung season na ‘yun para makuha ‘yung championship. Kumbaga as a veteran, napakalaking factor sa’min na i-lead sila nang tama para makuha ulit ‘yung championship.”
Cagulangan added: “‘Yung pressure, nandyan lang naman ‘yan lagi. ‘Pag pinag-usapan ‘yung pressure is paano mo lang naman lalabanan ‘yun, ‘di ba?
“Kaya laban UP talaga.”
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