Nnoruka ready for bigger role

University of the Philippines (UP) center Francis Nnoruka is taking a go-to-guy mindset inside the paint and providing the intangibles in the Fighting Maroons’ bid to reclaim the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 89 men’s basketball tournament crown.

Embracing a bigger role post-Maroon 5 era and without backup foreign student-athlete (FSA) Dieonte Miles after the American recruit was deemed ineligible for the season.

The 6-foot-9 backed his mentality with a strong performance of 18 points on 6-of-10 field goal shooting and 12 rebounds in UP’s 92-85 win over University of Santo Tomas in a rematch of last year’s Final Four on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

“I think it’s pretty much the mindset we’ve had on our team the whole year. We just got to go out and show up, play with heart, effort, and just try to get the job done,” Nnoruka said.

Under new league rules, teams can have two FSAs in the lineup but can only field one per game.

UP took advantage of the rule and brought in 24-year-old Miles, who played in the US NCAA Division I with Xavier University in Cincinnati and Morehead State University in Kentucky.

Miles, however, failed to secure his immigration requirements in time. He was replaced by returning Dikachi Ududo.