AMID fading cheers and emptying stands after Adamson's straight-sets loss to National U, head coach JP Yude’s attention was on a familiar face in a different shade of blue.
And so, he walked over and pulled her into a long embrace.
There was no bitterness, only pride, as the spiker who just powered the Lady Bulldogs past his Lady Falcons wasn’t a mere opponent.
It was Sam Cantada, who was once his prized ward, but now starring for the gold-and-blue.
READ: Cantada urges everybody to move on - like she and Adamson have
The 5-foot-7 outside spiker delivered the goods for her new squad with a stellar all-around performance of 16 points built on 13 attacks, one block, and two aces, on top of five excellent digs and nine receptions in NU's second straight win.
For the Adamson shot-caller, the moment felt surreal, as he watched a player he once mentored thrive on the biggest collegiate stage - even it came at his expense.
“Number one thing, I’m very proud of her. Even though nasa ibang school, the relationship, nandun pa rin naman,” he said.
“I’m very proud of her, especially on how she performed against us, on how she handled the pressure."
Sam CAN-tada
The pride, Yude admitted, had been long in the making.
Even before Cantada arrived in the seniors ranks, the tactician had already seen the signs - during the offseason and back in her high school days, when she claimed MVP honors and helped Adamson to a historic championship.
“I expected naman yun. Kahit sa high school pa lang, sobrang nag-improve na siya. Nagde-develop na rin siya ngayon,” he said.
Now in her rookie year in college, Cantada has quickly proven that she belongs - not just as a scorer, but as a complete player willing to do the unseen work.
Still, for all the praise, Yude offered a reminder shaped by years of coaching.
As he put it, “She must always be humble kung ano man narating niya ngayon, continue niya lang yun.”
On paper, it was a loss for the Lady Falcons. But for Yude, it was a victory of a different kind: watching a former player soar, even no longer as a Falcon.
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