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With UAAP hoops crown, NU's transformation is complete

Finals MVP Alfred Aroga celebrates with the rest of the NU Bulldogs. (Bob Guerrero/Yahoo)

My personal favorite NU Bulldogs anecdote from yesteryear is from the early nineties. Back then National was perennially, reliably awful, holding up the UAAP table year-in,year-out. The descriptors “cellar-dweller,” and “league doormat” seemed to be custom-made for the Bulldogs.

Their coach was the silver-haired Sonny Paguia, a stooped, frail man who cut a lonesome and forlorn figure on the sideline. I believe his family owned the school then, so no matter how often the team lost, job security was never a problem.

Their players seemed culled from nearby areas, ignored by recruiters from other sides.

One day at the Blue Eagle Gym, (yes UAAP games were once played in that musty, unairconditioned arena), me and my Atenean buddy Ricky Bonoan were watching the Blue Eagles play National. Since both sides were eliminated from title contention, there must have been two dozen people in the gym, then known as the Loyola Center.

Naturally, since Rick and I were young, foolish, and had nothing better to do, we decided to heckle NU's star forward, Arnel Sunga, while he shot free throws.

From the general admission area, Sunga could hear two idiots in the distance shrieking “Arneeeel, Arneeeel, Arnel, Arnel ARRRNEELL!!!!” as he took his charities, with the last and loudest rendition of his name coming as he made his release.

On one of those shots, Sunga shot us a dagger look, and we replied with threatening shouts of “ANO?? ANO???” from the safety of the chicken wire that separated us from the box seats.

Flash forward to Wednesday. With another dominating performance from Alfred Aroga and yet another afternoon of tough defensive basketbal, NU dumped FEU in the pivotal finals game three 75-59. Finally after decades of futility in men's senior basketball, the Bulldogs could cut the nets for the first time since the Magsaysay administration.

It was the pinnacle of a long rebuilding program for NU. They had come a long, long way. No one knows those dark days better than Happy Feraren.

Feraren was NU's courtside reporter in season 68 and 69. A La Sallian who was assigned to NU, Ferraren recounts the tail end of those trying times before the Sy family came to the school's rescue.

Photo by Bob Guerrero/Yahoo Philippines
Photo by Bob Guerrero/Yahoo Philippines



“In my entire career as a courtside reporter for them, I think I remember just witnessing a win twice. As reporters, we would be advised to watch our team's basketball practice to have material for the upcoming games and that one time that I did attend, it was not even in their own campus. They were using the ADMU Blue Eagle gym to practice.”

Back then the NU gym was notorious for its warped floorboards that made training a challenge.

“There was a stark difference between how the Bulldogs behaved versus the other schools,” continued Feraren. “As the representatives of their schools in the UAAP, they hardly had the swag of high profile student athletes.”

“I remember one time, I would look at the opposing team's bench and see a whole entourage from coaching staff down to the team's own physical therapists. The opposite dug out was intense, with laptops in the hands of the assistant coach and an oxygen tank on standby. Our coaching staff consisted of a head coach (Manny Dandan) and two assistant coaches, and that was it. That was our whole 'entourage.'”

“As injured players from the opposing teams walked back to their benches a full medical team would be there to assist them. On our end, it was a mere icepack on standby for any injury that would await.”

“Listening in on a huddle, I once had to throw in a piece of tissue as they realized that they didn't have an eraser to wipe off the play from the whiteboard. Half time pep-talks were hard to watch. You could see it in their faces, how they were just fighting a losing battle. Sometimes I felt I had more school spirit than all of them combined, despite the fact that I was not even from NU!”

But two years after Ferraren's stint, the Sy family came into the picture, buying the school from the Paguia family. Then everything changed. A new gym, new buildings, and a new spirit was injected into Sampaloc.

The hoops team was beefed up, with new facilities and all the accoutrements of the modern UAAP team, including preseason training camps abroad.



Last year was supposed to be the Bulldogs' coming-out party. But Rayray Parks and his buddies fell at the final four to UST. In that last game UST's crowd out-voiced NU's gallery as the Bulldogs squandered their twice-to-beat advantage. But the opposite would happen in this magical season.

“The fans just saw something special in us and kept on showing up,” said NU assistant coach Mon Jose of this year's fan support.

Another big boost: the school canceled classes on the days of NU's magical run of victories in do-or-die games, allowing NU students to pack the MOA Arena and Araneta Coliseum and support the team. Jose said that had never happened in his three previous years with the club.

Photo by Bob Guerrero/Yahoo Philippines
Photo by Bob Guerrero/Yahoo Philippines



NU has now captured the womens basketball title, the mens basketball title, and the cheerdance competition in one spectacular season 77. The Bulldogs' signature cheer, “Heeeeeey! NU! Let's Go,” is now firmly identified with the team. And one La Sallian must surely be singing along with it in her head.

“Them winning represents so much,” gushed Feraren. “This just shows that with equal opportunities, people can really excel and that being of privilege doesn't mean jack when it comes down to the game!”

“I'm glad there are more NU fans now. My office in Makati is full of Ateneo fans. We watched on TV at ako lang mag-isa ang nag-cheer for NU at umiyak dito.”

Follow Bob on Twitter @PassionateFanPH.