KACEY Dela Rosa just had one of the most dominant individual UAAP seasons in recent memory.
Yet she still finds herself a mile away from her and the team’s aspirations.
READ: Lady Falcons oust Blue Eagles, presumptive MVP Kacey Dela Rosa
The six-foot, 20-year-old Ateneo hotshot posted double-double performances in all 15 games she played in UAAP Season 87.
Dela Rosa would emerge as the presumptive runaway MVP for the second straight season, averaging 22.1 points and 16 rebounds to yield a tournament-best 96.286 statistical points.
Her standalone dominance couldn’t be mimicked by her Blue Eagles squad as they bowed out of the stepladder semifinals in a crushing 53-59 overtime loss to Adamson.
Bittersweet exit
Back-to-back MVP nods aside, the Gilas Pilipinas center isn’t satisfied one bit with her current stature in the college ranks.
And she knows there’s still a long way to go for her to become the player and the total package she aspires to be following a season of heartbreaks and regrets.
“Malayo pa, malayo pa. Marami pa kong need pagtrabahuan gaya ng decision-making ko and i-lead ‘yung team. Siguro, biggest regret ko rin na ‘di ko masyadong na-lead ‘yung team ko to be better,” the Ateneo star said.
As good a consolation the MVP award might be, it’s still not the trophy she would’ve wanted to lift.
“Happy, pero, sad at the same time kasi ‘di naman ‘yun ‘yung goal ko. Mas naglo-look ako sa bigger [prize], hindi lang du’n sa [MVP] award.”
‘The future of Philippine basketball’
Ateneo head coach LA Mumar gave Dela Rosa her flowers for exemplifying humility and growth more than anything else to fuel her MVP season, albeit a challenging one.
He even likened her to one of the game’s most recognizable big man-MVPs in NBA great Shaquille O’Neal.
“She grew. Among all the players, she was the one who grew outside shooting, handling triple teams,” said Mumar.
“She’s getting Shaq-like rules sometimes. She gets hit, after the game, ang daming tama. But she’s matured kahit na nasasaktan, parang Shaq talaga. Sometimes she doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt sa ref, kasi ang lakas eh.”
Best believe there’s more to the back-to-back MVP’s arsenal that is yet to be unleashed and will only get better with the character she’s always had.
“She’s matured in that way. She barely complains. Grabe, grabe si Kacey. As in, coaching her is a delight. Future of Philippine basketball for sure, and she’s continuously growing.”
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