NU's Parks unsure of coming back next season
At this moment, Bobby Ray Parks is keeping his options wide open.
Following a 69-76 loss dealt by fourth-seed University of Santo Tomas in their sudden-death match Saturday that knocked his team, National University, out of the UAAP Season 76 men’s cage tourney, Parks remained uncertain whether he’ll be suiting up again for the Bulldogs next season.
“I’m not sure if I’m coming back. I still have a lot of thinking to do,” the former two-time league MVP told a handful of scribes at the lobby of the Mall of Asia Arena.
That painful loss negated the top-seeded Bulldogs’ twice-to-beat disadvantage in the semifinals and marked a disappointing end to their promising campaign where NU was considered as a genuine title contender.
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Parks also stressed he is also not sure of suiting up for Banco De Oro in the PBA Developmental League and sounded keen on further honing his skills in the United States.
“On D-League, I’m not sure. I’ll probably train in the (United) States. I don’t know. A lot of things are going through my mind right now,” he said.
Making it to the NBA remains Parks’ ultimate goal. “Of course, it is still an option. That is my goal and my dream. I have to work on that. I can’t just sit down and I have to find my way to the top,” he stressed.
Ranged against the Tigers’ lockdown defense, Parks struggled anew, coming up with just 15 points in 10 attempts while running empty in the fourth canto where the Bulldogs self-destructed in the stretch.
Making matters worse, the southpaw wingman also suffered from cramps with less than a minute left.
He, however, tipped his hat off to UST, which will take on La Salle in the best-of-three finals that gets going this Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
“They (Tigers) showed up and they played their type of game. They are veterans” he said. “I’m disappointed because we fell short.”
Parks also quashed reports that head coach Eric Altamirano is on his way out of the Bulldogs’ camp. “(It's) not true,” was his short answer.
