With just 8.8 ticks left in the Emilio Aguinaldo College’s game against the Perpetual Help ALTAS, Sidney Onwubere looked around the Filoil Flying V Centre, soaking in his last moments as a General.
“Mami-miss ko yung crowd, yung drums, yung fans na sumisigaw. Yun yung pinakamami-miss ko,” recalled the 23-year-old.
For the last five years, Onwubere became the face of the Generals. Though his rough game was misunderstood, the 6-foot-4 utility forward earned the respect of his peers and fans alike as he gave it his all every game.
And Tuesday afternoon, even the best product of EAC’s sporting program Howard Mojica was in attendance to pay tribute to him.
“Sabi ko sa team ko, kasi ako I am known as a defensive player, kaya sabi ko guys malaki ma-achieve ng team na ito kung lahat tayo masipag, magaling dumepensa. Yung gusto ko ipasok sa kanila eh yung work ethic,” said Onwubere, who averaged 18.06 points, 12.38 rebounds, 2.88 assists, and 1.56 blocks in his final year.
“Talagang ‘pag nagtrabaho kayo, maraming mangyayari.”
In his final game, Onwubere made sure that the next batch of Generals will be highlighted. With Jerome Garcia and Jethro Mendoza leading the way, EAC were able to send off their seniors with an 83-81 win.
“Masaya ako kasi halos lahat nag-contribute, lahat may ginawa. Actually, wala na yung focus ko sa laro, gusto ko lang manalo kami one last time,” shared Onwubere, as he tried to fight off tears.
“Iba na magiging routine ko araw-araw,” he admitted, “Patapos na ko sa school at hindi na ko makaka-practice sa gym namin.”
With this, Onwubere will move on to the next stage of his career, as he has thrown his name into the PBA Draft. And he hopes that he was able to turn the heads of scouts with his all-around play in his final year.
“Sana suwertehin.”
