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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Collegiate devider NU eyes consistency, healthy season

NU eyes consistency, healthy season

Published Sep 22, 2025 05:58 pm

At A Glance

  • If National University could make a wish for its campaign this year, it would be to stay healthy and consistent throughout the UAAP Season 88 men's basketball tournament.
Expect Omar John pours it all for NU this UAAP Season 88. (UAAP Media)
Expect Omar John pours it all for NU this UAAP Season 88. (UAAP Media)
If National University could make a wish for its campaign this year, it would be to stay healthy and consistent throughout the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament.
The Bulldogs, joined by their returning foreign student-athlete Omar John, aim to become a playoff contender again in a tight season full of emerging talents and hungry veterans in their respective schools.
“First of all, thank you for this win. Pero mahaba pa yung season, so, very important for us is to become healthy muna, ‘yon ang pinaka-iniisip namin ngayon,” said NU head coach Jeff Napa.
“At least masaya kami na lalagpasan namin tong first game, Kahit pa papaano, walang nangyayari sa players namin,” he added.
John had a decent game for the Bulldogs, contributing eight points, two rebounds and one block in less than 20 minutes of action, backing up Jake Figueroa (16 points), Paul Francisco (12), and Ken Padrones (10) offensively.
Though his numbers weren not eye-popping on paper, the 6-foot-10 big man’s presence alone fortified the interior—a gap NU failed to fill last year after Mo Diassana went down with a season-ending injury in their opening game and resulted in an all-Filipino roster the rest of the way for a seventh place finish with a 5-9 record in eliminations.
"Siyempre, iba pa rin mayroon ka 6-10 (John), kahit papano, extra body rin yun. Hindi na-worn out yung mga other picks na magtrabaho talaga ng totoo. Still, masaya kami eh for Omar, nakabalik siya,” Napa continued.
“Masaya kami, kasi [ang] laki ng pinagbago niya, talagang in-embrace niya kung ano yung task para sa kanya, ‘yong role sa kanya [and] at the same time, yung maturity in terms of her attitude,” he added.
NU also put a premium on the team’s consistency during the off-season after it held training overseas with Steve Nash Enriquez, PJ Palacielo, Reinhard Jumamoy, and Jolo Manansala leading the sessions.
“So yun yung tinrabaho talaga ng mga bata no’ng off-season during our camp na talagang pinakita nila, na kaya nila. So hopefully maging consistent kami sa ginagawa namin talaga,” said Napa.
“Hindi lang ngayon, syempre kahit papano, we have 13 games more sa elimination, so we have to be consistent sa ginagawa namin,” he added.
The Bulldogs (1-0) shoot for two straight wins when they challenge the Far Eastern University Tamaraws (0-1) this Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

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