While adversities come and go, the regret and pain of losing the UAAP women’s basketball crown in Season 86 continued to haunt National University team captain Camille Clarin.
Exactly 375 days after the Lady Bulldogs’ seven-year UAAP reign was ended by the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigresses, the two teams found themselves in the same scenario on Sunday.
The same venue, the SMART Araneta Coliseum; the same stakes, with a winner-takes-all Game 3 on the line; and even the same jerseys, with NU donning its primary colors and UST in their dark uniforms.
But Clarin refused to allow the same heartbreak in her final year with NU.
She erased the pain of 2023 with a 78-73 Game 3 triumph over archrival UST, securing her team’s eighth UAAP women’s basketball title in nine seasons.
With the iconic win, Clarin completed her full circle with the Lady Bulldogs.
She entered NU as a champion in Season 82, before suffering a loss that ended a 108-game winning streak in Season 85. The team then lost the throne in Season 86, but she is now now leaving as a three-time UAAP champion.
And the triumph was sweeter than ever for Clarin.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“I think everything is sweeter once you overcome hardship. I think that’s the name of the game for us this season,” the Gilas Women mainstay shared, contributing 14 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
She went on, “Even last game, Game Two – we were already on a sweep, and everything was leading up to a perfect moment for us to finish Game 2, but it didn’t happen. It was just one more obstacle we needed to overcome.
“It was just a testament to everything we’ve worked for this year. Every second counted, every practice, every drill we did, every time we chose to listen to the coaches and come together in close games. All of that led to this moment, and that’s why we won.”
As one of the primary leaders in Season 86, Clarin felt she lacked the extra push needed to lead NU to what was supposed to be their eighth consecutive UAAP title.
However, the story of redemption in Season 87 couldn’t have been well-written without the extra push from her teammates – particularly her batchmates Maymay Canuto and Pringle Fabruada.
Meanwhile, Angel Surada is still contemplating her return for Season 88.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“I think last year I had a hard time as a senior because I didn’t feel like anyone really helped me out or talked to me or told me what I could do better. But this year, I didn’t feel that. I knew they had my back in whatever way they could,” the 23-year-old winger explained.
“Angel’s been there with me. We came into the league together, and we’re leaving the way we started – as champions. I’m gonna miss playing with her. Yeah, that’s all.”
If there was one lesson Clarin can carry with her as she exits collegiate basketball, it would be the importance of extra hard work to leave a lasting impact and legacy with such a dynastic women’s basketball powerhouse.
In her four years with NU, the Canada-raised Clarin helped bring home three UAAP 5-on-5 women’s basketball titles and a UAAP 3×3 women’s basketball championship in Season 84.
She also gained multiple stints with the Gilas Women, including her first appearance with the senior team in the 2021 FIBA Women’s Asia Cup and a gold medal in the 2022 SEA Games.
“The biggest lesson was you can never work enough. Last year, I didn’t put in any extra work; I didn’t do what it took to be a captain. Yeah, I was good at communicating, but I think my impact on the court wasn’t enough,” she said.
“I don’t think there was a day this year that I didn’t do extra work, didn’t talk to other coaches, or didn’t review film, because I knew this moment was gonna come and I wanted to be ready for it. The only thing once you’re down is to rise back up.”
Clarin kept quiet about her plans to enter the professional basketball scene as she will forego her fifth and final year of eligibility with the Lady Bulldogs.
“To be determined. We don’t really know. We’re just focused on tonight and where we’re gonna party,” she quipped.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
