Junior Altas stay hungry, motivated

University of Perpetual Help System Dalta vowed to stay hungry and motivated despite clinching the title in the Next Generation Basketball League (NGBL) recently.

Junior Altas head coach Joph Cleopas said they are far from satisfied despite completing 10-game winning streak en route to the coveted title of the inaugural NGBL tournament.

“I always tell the boys that while this is another achievement, we still need to focus on our next task, which is the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association),” the 37-year-old former strength and conditioning mentor said.

“We’ll celebrate and relish this a little bit but we can’t keep our focus away from our actual goal. We cannot dwell on this win. Our hunger should not go away.”

The Junior Altas went through a lot before completing a perfect season.

In fact, they struggled against University Athletic Association of the Philippines powerhouse National University Nazareth School before booking a 96-93 win in the finals to seal their title run.

With the win, the Junior Altas emerged with P300,000 cash prize on top of the tag as inaugural NGBL champion.

But Cleopas stressed that the trophy is not their ultimate prize.

“The experience that we gained here in the NGBL is priceless,” said Cleopas, who banked on the prowess of Finals Most Valuable Player Jericho Christion, LeBron Daep, Jan Roluna, Icee Calangan and veteran JD Pagulayan.