MANILA, Philippines — Touched by the unwavering support of the NU community despite the Bulldogs' struggles in the UAAP Season 87 men's basketball tournament, coach Jeff Napa couldn't help but break down into tears.
Napa and the Bulldogs defeated the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 78-68, to end their four-game skid and the first round as sixth placer with a 2-5 slate Saturday at the Mall of Asia Arena, where about 1,350 students from NU MOA campus alone watched to support the Bulldogs.
"Of course, it [the NU support is] a morale booster," said Napa, his voice breaking and went on to wipe his tears on the towel of player Ken Padrones who went with him in the post-game presser.
In between tears and wiping it on Padrones' towel, Napa, a former NU Bulldog himself, continued:
"You made me cry. As a true blooded Nationalian, we're proud that despite we're struggling, they [the NU community] are still there to support us. You guys are still there believing in us. You guys made me cry."
It has been an uphill battle for the Bulldogs since the beginning of the season, immediately losing foreign student big man Mo Diassana to a knee injury against La Salle on September 8.
It was later revealed that Diassana is out for the rest of the season.
Losing Diassana to injury impacted the Bulldogs big time especially during close contests, as they're forced to play all-Filipino while the opposition had the luxury of competing with their foreign bigs.
"Despite a big loss, my players' mindset is to compete, perform, and not make any excuses," said Napa.
The Bulldogs have been taking their struggles in stride. They finally got over the hump on Saturday with Padrones leading the way with 18 points and six rebounds.
"We stayed positive. That's the approach we've been using, taking away the negatives. We want to be positive despite dwelling in the cellar," said Napa, who gave Padrones his flowers.
"My players really stepped up, especially this guy [Padrones] sitting next to me. He didn't give up despite being undersized or whatsoever."