Napa tells Bulldogs: Level up game
REINHARD Jumamoy and the NU Bulldogs will have to step up their game, insists head coach Jeff Napa as they bid to rule the Season 89 UAAP basketball crown.
Photograph by Joey Sanchez Mendoza for DAILY TRIBUNE
REINHARD Jumamoy and the NU Bulldogs will have to step up their game, insists head coach Jeff Napa as they bid to rule the Season 89 UAAP basketball crown.
Photograph by Joey Sanchez Mendoza for DAILY TRIBUNE
National University (NU) downplayed its first win over University of the Philippines (UP) in two years in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 89 men’s basketball tournament.
For head coach Jeff Napa, what’s important now is keeping the Bulldogs on the right course in their mission for redemption.
“My message to the team is always, ‘it’s all about us,’” said Napa following NU’s wire-to-wire, 72-64, domination of erstwhile unbeaten Fighting Maroons in their first-round meeting in Season 89 on Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
“We don’t care who our opponent is, because we need to adjust ourselves. Prepare the team’s mindset first before we think of our opponent. That’s where we start. Our guys are getting confident. They are correcting their mistakes every time, especially in practice, but still, that’s the challenge; that’s what we need. We really need to equal, if not surpass, the ability and level of competition of our opponents,” Napa said.
The Bulldogs were in full control of the game and even led by as many as 18.
A massive 21-4 start by NU set the tone for the one-sided affair as the Bulldogs moved to a three-way tie atop the standings with 2-1 win-loss record alongside UP and Ateneo de Manila University.
Rookie Mac Alfanta, Paul Francisco, Mo Diassana, PJ Palacielo and Reinhard Jumamoy led NU’s early pull away.
Francisco gave the Bulldogs their biggest lead of the game after stealing the ball off an inbound play for an unchallenged layup for a 64-46 separation with 6:08 remaining.
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It was the Bulldogs’ first win over UP since the second round of Season 87.
“Let’s not talk about what happened before; it’s all in the past now. What’s important is the present. What’s important now is this team — a very young team. We’re performing, and I’m happy that the team is showing the fans and our community what we are made of,” Napa said.
The mentor’s focus now is maintaining the team’s momentum and learning from the mistakes of its Final Four meltdown last year when it was beaten twice by eventual champion De La Salle University despite being the No. 1 seed.
“We learned from it. We try to teach the team the lessons from the previous season,” Napa said.
NU will look to make it three straight wins next Saturday when it takes on Ateneo at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City. M. Escarlote
