BY ABBY TORALBA
MAPUA University can only get better, as far as Rookie-MVP Clint Escamis is concerned.
“There’s always next year. Use this as motivation, especially sa mga natira. Simula pa lang. Diyan pa lang, go back to work, go back to the grind,” Escamis said.
“Ang sinasabi ko nga sa kanila, huwag kayo mag-look down. Tingnan ninyo iyong San Beda, pagka-cut nila ng net. Use that as fuel for next season,” he added.
Armchair pundits picked Mapua as the favorite in the recently concluded 99th NCAA basketball tournament.
The Cards proved they have what it takes, until the last two games of the best-of-3 finals.
Mapua emerged with a 15-3 mark at the end of the eliminations for the No. 1 seed in the Final Four where it hurdled College of St. Benilde.
The Intramuros-based cagers seemed to have the crown in the bag after scoring a 68-63 win in the opener of the Big Dance, only to lose the next two tiffs, and the title.
“Sobrang sakit kasi especially in Game 2, nagging kampante kami. We thought we had it na. Sobrang sakit talaga. At the end of the day, wala, nangyari na. You can only move forward. Hindi ko ma-describe iyong pain.
