NU coach Jeff Napa insists Bulldogs' wins were no fluke

For National University (NU) head coach Jeff Napa, their triumphs in UAAP Season 87 were no fluke as he urged the Bulldogs to finish their campaign strong.

The undermanned Bulldogs, sans a reliable big man, have kept themselves in Final Four contention with a 4-8 record following back-to-back victories against University of the Philippines (9-2) and University of Santo Tomas (5-7).

Napa, however, said these wins were hard-earned and not just out of luck.

“Number one thing, doon sa mga hindi naniniwala na tinalo namin ‘yung UP, ito ‘yung kasunod. Hindi tsamba yung tinalo namin UP. Okay? Hindi malas 'yung UP. Naglaro kami nang tama. Ganun ka-simple. Ngayon, tinalo namin UST, naglaro uli kami nang tama. Ganun lang ka-simple. Thankful ako sa mga players ko. Ganun ka-simple. Thank you,” said Napa.

As the Final Four race tightens, NU is now in a must-win situation in their last two games against Adamson University (4-7) and defending champion De La Salle University (11-1).

Heading into the last stretch of the eliminations, Napa and the rest of the Bulldogs understand that their entire fate is now out of their hands, with the other teams also jockeying for position in the standings. 

“Wala na kaming pakialam kung anong mangyari sa last two games namin eh. Kumbaga, binibigay na namin sa taas kung ano yung magiging fate talaga namin this season. We're here just to complete talaga for the community,” he said.

“Para sa mga naniniwala kumbaga. Thankful pa rin kami at nai-inspire kami. Doon kami nai-inspire. Sa mga negative na nagsasabing tsamba. Doon lalo kami nafa-fire [up] at nai-inspire, especially ako. Syempre, trinabaho ng mga bata eh. Nakakainis lang kumbaga,” he concluded.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News