NOW armed with finals experience and toughened up by two painful setbacks in the Big Dance, Mapua University coach Randy Alcantara is hoping his charges could finally win it all in the 98th NCAA basketball tournament.
“Malaking bagay sa amin iyon kasi dalawang beses kaming nag-finals, dalawang beses ding nasaktan. Siguro naman natuto na ang players ko kaya kailangan mas pag-igihan pa nila para hindi naman kami maging bridesmaid ulit kung papalarin this season,” Alcantara said.
“Kung umabot man kami sa finals this season, nandoon na iyong finals experience pero sila pa rin ang maglalaro at the end of the way. Kailangan hindi mawala iyong tapat at tamang decision-making,” he added.
The Cardinals nearly achieved the unthinkable in the last cage wars where they wound up with a 7-2 card after the eliminations to clinch the No. 2 seed in the play-in tourney.
Mapua hurdled San Beda University in their Final Four battle to reach the finals of the country’s oldest collegiate league for the first time in 31 years but could not finish the job against fancied Letran, which completed a perfect 12-0 season.
The core of the Intramuros-based five carried the colors of Marinerong Pilipino in the recent PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup.
