Good isn't great, so the NU Bulldogs are barking their way to a brand-new men’s basketball tournament armed with title aspirations and a killer mentality.
From the likes of Danny Ildefonso to Lordy Tugade to Troy Rosario and to Ray Parks Jr., the National University (NU) Bulldogs have gone through different eras with notable superstars leading the charge.
This Season 87 squad, however, presents players shining in their own respective roles as far as Jolo Manansala is concerned.
"'Yung pagiging superstar sa kaniya-kaniya naming role 'yung nilalabas namin and pinapakita. Nag-stick lang kami sa kaniya-kaniya naming role,’ Manansala told One Sports.
While making back-to-back Final Four appearances marked a consistent showing for NU, Manansala was the first to admit that the Bulldogs dealt with complacency and some unfortunate string of injuries that proved costly in the end.
“Nangyari na rin ng dalawang season. Last two games namin ng eliminations, nagrerelax kami. May mga nangyari lang na aksidente tulad ng injuries.”
“Para maka-get over doon sa Final Four, kailangan lang namin maging healthy. At the same time, kailangan na rin namin maintindihan na 'di na kami pwede mag relax,” he added.
Jake Figueroa, who led NU in scoring last season (12.6 ppg) on a respectable 47.4% field goal shooting, echoed Manansalas’s sentiment.
“'Yung back-to-back bronze finishes, blessing 'yun sa'min kasi 'di birong makatungtong sa Final Four. Yung pagkukulang namin para [makalampas kami].'Yung sa dulo siguro. Kasi parang bumibigay kami sa dulo.”
Heading to their fourth season under head coach Jeff Napa, Figueroa has nothing but praise to their top tactician.
“Nagpapasalamat ako kay Lord kasi napunta ako dito [sa NU] para mahandle ni Coach Jeff. 'Yung growth ko as a player under kay Coach Jeff is hindi lang siya basta-basta na coach parang father figure din.”
Figueroa and Manansala, alongside returnees Steve Nash Enriquez, Reinhard Jumamoy, Patrick Yu, and PJ Palacielo are expected to provide stability and leadership to a squad who lost Kean Baclaan and Mike Malonzo in the offseason.
The Bulldogs though were able to replace them with the likes of UAAP juniors champion Tebol Garcia and Vince Reyes.
And from the looks of it, the Bulldogs have gone above and beyond in preparing for Season 87 with the goal of not only contending against the big schools such as DLSU, UP, Ateneo, but also beating them when it matters the most.
NU will open its men’s basketball tournament campaign against defending champion DLSU Green Archers on Sunday, September at 6:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Cubao.