Mav Mesina, UE’s ace guard, had an interesting way to psych himself up during the Junior Red Warriors’ UAAP Season 87 juniors’ basketball championship run.
Just seven months ago, Mav Mesina and the UE Junior Warriors were on the losing end of their Final Four matchup against the FEU-Diliman Baby Tamaraws in the UAAP Season 86 juniors’ basketball tournament.
The third-seeded UE at the time suffered a 77-79 loss to the Baby Tamaraws and settled for a bronze medal finish in the demonstration event. As a result, they could only watch as their opponents locked horns with the NU-Nazareth School Bullpups for the Season 86 title.
Today, things are much, much brighter in Recto. Gone are the heartbreaks as Mesina and the Junior Warriors emerged as the Season 87 juniors’ basketball champs after dispatching the UST Tiger Cubs in a three-game series.
But for Mesina, it’s the memory of Season 86’s heartbreak that kept him focused in their Season 87 title run.
“Ever since the Final Four started, ‘yung medal ko na bronze, nilabas ko and nilagay ko sa side table ko. So everytime na gigising ako, matutulog ako, lagi ko nakikita ‘yon,” Mesina shared after UE copped the juniors’ basketball title on Friday.
Mesina was limited to five points on 2-of-8 shooting in Game 3, but added four rebounds and six assists in their 78-47 blowout over the Tiger Cubs. The Malabon native also came up big in Game 2, knocking down six crucial free throws that forced the rubber match.
“So ginawa kong inspiration ‘yung finish namin last season, pati ibababawi namin ‘yung mga seniors namin [Ethan Aguas] na umakyat na,” the former Claret School of Quezon City ace recalled.
UE also made history with their Season 87 title run, which snapped a 39-year UAAP basketball title drought. The Recto-based squad last won a UAAP basketball championship in Season 48 (1985), when Allan Caidic and Jerry Codiñera showed the way against the UST Glowing Goldies in the men’s basketball finals.
It was also a dominant campaign for this UE core, who finished Season 87 16-2 overall record led by Mav Mesina, finals MVP Gab Delos Reyes, and Jolo Pascual. Their only losses came to FEU-Diliman in the eliminations and during the finals Game 1 scare by UST last December 11.
Given this, Mesina paid tribute to the unsung heroes of their title run: The UE community.
“It feels good, you know? ‘Yung title na dinala namin sa Recto, it feels great talaga lalo ‘yung community, ‘yung classmates namin, teachers na nakasuporta lagi. Kahit sa school po, kahit ‘di nyo nakikita, grabe ‘yung suporta nila samin! Tinutulungan nila kami sa academics namin and ‘yun lang. Gusto ko lang magpasalamat sa kanila,” the 14-year-old guard said.
Up next for Mav Mesina and much of this UE core will be the 19-and-under division for the Season 88 boys’ basketball tournament. For his part, head coach Andrew Estrella hopes that this batch inspires aspiring high schoolers to try their luck in their budding juniors’ program.
Likewise, Estrella hopes that their title run inspires the current 19-and-under team who will begin their campaign this February.
“This will be an inspiration for them, since mas sweet pag dalawa kami. That’s the ultimate goal talaga, to win so one game at a time, lalo na for them [16-and-under team] they never expected this. But hopefully, ma-inspire ‘yung mga 19-and-under,” said Estrella, who is an assistant to boys’ head coach Karl Santos.
Banner image courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.