Presumptive back-to-back UAAP MVP Kacey Dela Rosa falls short of bigger goal: a championship for the Ateneo Blue Eagles.
To be back-to-back MVPs in a league as competitive as the UAAP is a huge achievement itself, but for Ateneo’s Kacey Dela Rosa, it isn’t as sweet as it could’ve been.
That is, Dela Rosa would’ve preferred a deeper run for the Blue Eagles in the step-ladder semis, after suffering an early exit against the Adamson Lady Falcons in Season 87 last November 30.
Suffering a stinging loss in overtime, Dela Rosa was left wanting more after another double-double effort was for naught.
[RELATED: Cheska Apag repays Adamson trust with clutch make in UAAP semis win: 'God will provide’]
“I guess, it’s not enough para makuha yung goal namin and ayun nga, tinry talaga namin yung best namin para manalo sa Adamson, pero ayun, na-short kami,” said Dela Rosa, who finished every game in Season 87 with a double-double.
A runaway MVP, Dela Rosa found her rhythm against the Lady Falcons late — powering the Blue Eagles to a late run that had them ahead, 49-47, in the last few seconds of regulation.
But Cheska Apag drilled the game-tying jumper with 5.5 ticks left in the fourth to force the game into overtime.
After the match, Dela Rosa said that she struggled to penetrate the Lady Falcons’ defense, which she commended them for.
“Siguro nahirapan din ako kasi pinu-push nila ako sa inside the paint. Pag nakukuha ko yung ball, parang nasa outside na ko. Hirap mag-attack and yun kudos din sa Adamson kasi… Good luck nalang sa kanila sa Final Four,” she said.
At the end of the day, Dela Rosa said that it was still a great honor to nab the MVP plum for the second straight year, even if she did want the title rather than an individual award.
“Happy, pero, sad at the same time kasi di naman yun yung goal ko for me. Kasi mas nagl-look ako sa bigger [goal] di lang dun sa award,” she said.
Nevertheless, even Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach LA Mumar did not sweep Dela Rosa’s achievement under the rug just because of their early exit. Mumar had a lot of good things to say about his third-year player.
“She did. She grew. Among all the players, she was the one who grew — outside shooting, handling triple teams. It’s tough… 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 eh,” said Mumar.
“Sometimes she doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt sa ref, kasi ang lakas eh. But 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,” he added.
Apart from Dela Rosa, Ateneo’s Sarah Makanjoula is also expected to be named in the Mythical Five of UAAP Season 87. Veteran guard Junize Calago also finished in the top-5 in statistical points but fell off due to a suspension which deemed her ineligible to win an award.