What the Mapua Cardinals lack in height, they more than make up for with sheer determination, especially in their looming redemption tour in NCAA Season 100 that unfurls this Saturday.
Mapua, eager to recover from a heartbreaking finals loss last year, got smaller following the departure of big men Warren Bonifacio and Jopet Soriano, who were among the Cardinals' top rebounders from Season 99.
Reigning MVP Clint Escamis acknowledges this disadvantage on their part, but said they will just turn to their speed and hard work in order to go toe-to-toe against their opponents.
"‘Yun nga, for me, undersized kami this year pero ‘yung effort and sipag ng team nando’n eh. Like si Yam Concepcion, si Christopher Hubilla, si Jan Jabonete, ito ‘yung mga to name a few na grabe, kahit undersized sila, ang sipag nila," Escamis told reporters on the sidelines of the NCAA Season 100 preseason press conference on Tuesday.
"Doon namin babawiin, sa sipag namin."
This early, Escamis is already high on their rookie Chris Hubilla, whom he said has the ability to explode on both ends of the floor.
The 21-year-old Hubilla is tipped to bolster the backcourt that already features Escamis as well as holdover Cyrus Cuenco and the returning Joaqui Garcia. They will also have another rookie in Lawrence Mangubat, who had shown his all-around capability during his time with the Red Robins.
"Sobrang laki niyang (Hubilla) bagay. Sobrang grabe ‘yung energy niya, especially on the defensive side and siya ‘yung tipo ng player na walang attitude, nakikinig lang sa mga seniors," Escamis said.
"Bright future ahead of him."
Mapua's frontcourt, meanwhile, will be manned by the 6-foot-4 John Jabonete and 6-foot-6 Aaron Fermin as they fill the void left by Bonifacio, who averaged a team-high 5.89 rebounds last year together with 10.5 points and 1.72 assists en route to claiming a Mythical Five inclusion.
With an inexperienced lineup as only six holdovers are left, Escamis hopes their fortunes this season will see them marching to the finals again and having a different ending this time around.
"Nu’ng day one na bumalik kami sa practice, sinabi ni coach Randy na kailangan talaga naming bawiin and ‘wag nating i-forget ‘yung sakit na naramdaman namin and turn that into motivation," Escamis said.
"Six na lang kaming natira from that original lineup so ini-instill namin sa team na kailangan nating ma-finish ang unfinished business and I really think ‘yung mga rookies namin ay nagbu-buy in sa program, sa process, sa system."
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
