Securing a twice-to-beat advantage isn’t a reason to celebrate for Jeff Napa and the NU Bulldogs.
For the first time since UAAP Season 76 in 2013, the NU Bulldogs will enter the UAAP Men’s Basketball Final Four armed with a twice-to-beat advantage.
This, after the league-leading Bulldogs overcame a scare from winless UE to mount an 83-74 victory at the SMART Araneta Coliseum over the weekend, which also improved their record to 11-2.
Still, head coach Jeff Napa remains grounded, knowing that the Bulldogs’ form remains far from perfect, especially after National U had to overcome a 35-53 deficit against the cellar-dwelling Red Warriors to secure the playoff bonus.
“Di naman namin iniisip kung ano ‘yung na-achieve namin. Ang importante samin kasi is ‘yung performance pa rin namin at the highest level. Bonus kung ano ‘yung na-achieve namin ngayon, pero kung hindi kami maglalaro at the level na gusto namin, balewala ‘yan,” Napa said post-game.
A twice-to-beat advantage doesn’t guarantee a title back to Jhocson either, and is something that the Bulldogs are well-familiar with. Season 76 saw National U squander their bonus to the UST Growling Tigers, who set up a title clash against eventual champions DLSU Green Archers.
At the time, National U had two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player Bobby Ray Parks, Troy Rosario, and Alfred Aroga, only for a UST side led by Karim Abdul and Kevin Ferrer to turn the tables in the Final Four.
“Natutunan ko na rin nung time na ‘yon na nagkaroon ng twice-to-beat tas nabalewala. So there’s no assurance, no guarantee na pag may twice-to-beat ka, makakaabot ka sa finals, or the championship,” said Napa, who was the head coach of the Nazareth School-NU Bullpups at the time.
“Ang importante samin is how we perform, how we approach the game pa rin, and how we will level up our game pa rin. So ‘yun ‘yung pinaka-importante samin, na magawa talaga namin ‘yun and ibibigay samin ng mga basketball gods kung ano talaga ‘yung para samin.”
So as early as now, Napa is making it a point to hold the Bulldogs accountable, especially after they seemed to get complacent against the Red Warriors. Again, it wasn’t until the second half that they were able to shut the door on UE’s attempt at a breakthrough win.
Apart from his unwavering belief in the Bulldogs, the Napa also knows that nothing less than 100 percent effort will be enough in their bid for the UAAP Season 88 title.
“‘Yung strong na message na binigay ko sa kanila is ‘yung mga aspiration ninyo, ‘yung mga goal at pangarap ninyo na gustong i-achieve, eh kalimutan niyo na kung natalo kayo sa ganitong laro [against UE],” Napa said.
“Itong mga game kasi na ito, hindi dapat tine-take lightly. So medyo doon nagkulang ‘yung mga players; pero ‘yun nga, babalik kami dito sa drawing board and we will correct ourselves.”
Images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.