William Sy has announced his exit from Jose Rizal University after just two seasons in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
In a heartfelt post on Facebook Sunday, the rising guard expressed gratitude to his teammates, coaches, and the whole JRU community for providing him a second home from high school to college.
"Thank You, Jose Rizal University for the 7 Wonderful Years," Sy said.
"Simula po sa mga Teammates, Coaches, Classmates, School Friends at sa buong JRU COMMUNITY lubos po akong nagpapasalamat sa pagaaruga't pagmamahal niyo sa akin. Salamat at naging tahanan kita sa loob ng maraming taon, naging sandalan ko para magkaron ako ng libreng edukasyon."
[From my teammates, coaches, classmates, school friends and the whole JRU Community, I am very grateful for your care and love for me. Thank you for being my home for many years, one that I could lean on to get a free education.]
The 5-foot-8 guard spent a total of seven years in JRU, using the last two as a Heavy Bomber under the guidance of head coach Louie Gonzales.
In his rookie year at the seniors ranks, Sy was among the key cogs in Gonzales' rotation, averaging 6.57 points, 4.79 rebounds, 2.21 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.14 blocks as JRU finished with a 7-11 card in Season 98.
In Season 99, he saw limited minutes on the court given the stacked backcourt arsenal of JRU but still emerged as one of the vital pieces off the bench as JRU missed out on the Final Four with a 10-8 slate.
Sy did not reveal his next moves, but stressed he will bring with him whatever he learned from JRU, on the court and off it.
"Higit sa lahat ay maging inspirasyon sa maraming kabataan na nangangarap na katulad ko. Babaunin ko lahat ng turo niyo sa akin sa labas at loob man ng hardcourt. Mami-miss ko kayong lahat!"
"Mahal na mahal ko kayong lahat. May God bless us all."
[More than anything, to be an inspiration for young players and others who hoped like I did. I will take with me all of the lessons you taught me inside and out of the hardcourt. I will miss you all. I love you all. May God bless us all.]
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
