It has been a decade since Eric Altamirano left National University, but the champion mentor remains one of the school’s most avid supporters to this day.
In fact, he continues to closely follow the present-day Bulldogs under the stewardship of Jeff Napa and remains optimistic about their chances of ending the men’s basketball program’s long wait for another crown in the ongoing UAAP Season 89.
“I’ve always admired how Coach Jeff’s been handling the program,” the former player-turned-bench tactician told Tiebreaker Times.
“Very stable siya. Tough luck lang last season; they weren’t able to make it,” Altamirano added.
“Pero, nagdaan din kami roon eh. We also experienced that before winning the championship. I’m hoping it will be the same.”
A year after losing Bobby Ray Parks, Altamirano steered NU to the UAAP championship in UAAP Season 77 (2014). They beat Nash Racela’s Far Eastern University in a best-of-three series that went the distance and ended the school’s 60-year men’s basketball title drought.
But as Altamirano has pointed out, the Bulldogs had to endure their share of hardships before finally winning it all. The former UP star took over the coaching reins in 2011, but his first season did not produce immediate success, as NU missed the Season 74 Final Four.
That campaign, however, offered a glimmer of hope.
The Bulldogs finished fifth with a 6-8 win-loss record, and finally got over the hump the following season by making the semifinals for the first time in 13 years.
NU returned to the Final Four in 2013 but was once again eliminated by University of Santo Tomas, marking the second straight year the Tigers ended the Bulldogs’ season.
As painful as those heartbreaks were, they ultimately became part of the journey toward a championship the following year.
The Bulldogs rose to the top of UAAP men’s basketball for the first time since 1954, completing an unlikely ascent as they were hardly considered title favorites entering the season, particularly after two-time MVP Parks left the team.
Instead, NU leaned on a core that featured Finals MVP Alfred Aroga, Troy Rosario, Glenn Khobuntin, Gelo Alolino, Pao Javelona, and Kyle Neypes, among others.
Altamirano now sees similarities between that special group and the current squad built and molded by Napa, himself an NU legend.
“Yung last year namin na team, ‘yung nag-champion, parang nakikita ko ngayon kasi nandun ‘yung toughness nila. Very tough ‘yung team ni Coach Jeff,” the 60-year-old offered. “And, kumpleto siya eh, he has the materials.”
One of those he noted in particular was both versions featuring good floor generals — 2014 had Alolino while the 2026 unit has Reinhard Jumamoy.
Altamirano also had a surplus of elite big men and wings such as eventual PBA champions Rosario and Khobuntin, plus a truly dependable Aroga.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
Napa, himself an effective big man coach both in the professional and collegiate ranks, has the tandem of PJ Palacielo and Kenshin Padrones. He also has a solid foreign student-athlete in 6-foot-10 Malian Mo Diassana.
“Kumpleto siya eh, he has the materials,” he said.
“Meron siyang good point guard, so we had a good point guard also, si Gelo at that time. Ngayon, si Jumamoy. And then meron din siyang mga bigs. He also has a good FSA.”
What Altamirano really appreciates about Napa’s team is the fact that it does not feature blue-chip recruits unlike other schools, but still finds ways to compete.
“Si Coach Jeff, laging mga kinukuha, puro mga under-the-radar. You don’t see blue-chippers sa team niya, yet he always competes, ‘no, ‘yung team na he handles,” he lauded.
“Very happy and very proud of Coach Jeff.”
That’s why the current UP women’s team chief mentor — who made his UAAP return on Wednesday — hopes to see NU succeed this season, as he’s also seen the trials and tribulations the program has gone through under Napa.
Since he returned home in 2022, the Bulldogs have reached the Final Four thrice, but couldn’t get the job done. They lost to the Fighting Maroons in Season 85, and then to De La Salle University in Seasons 86 and 88.
That defeat to the Green Archers in Season 88 could be their toughest to date, having lost the twice-to-beat advantage they earned after finishing as the No. 1 team in the eliminations with an 11-3 record. DLSU eventually won the gold.
(C) UAAP Season 89 Media Team
“I think it’s there. It’s only a matter of time,” said Altamirano, who handled NU for six years before resigning in 2016.
“Hopefully, Jeff gets it this year.”
Altamirano and Napa had the chance to catch up as they were among those invited by ANTA Philippines to its newest headquarters in Taguig.
Some of the brand’s ambassadors, from coaches to pro and college athletes, were present at the formal opening of its more spacious office, relocating from its old spot in Mandaluyong where it spent the last seven years.
The new office, located at the M3 Corporate Center in BGC, houses the main operations of the brands it is handling, from ANTA to Wilson to Salomon.
ANTA Philippines’ relocation to a new space is also part of its grand plans in the pipeline, which include elevating itself as the No. 1 sporting goods brand in the country by further expanding its reach within the local market.
Napa has been with ANTA Philippines for years now, while Altamirano became part of the growing family when the brand partnered with his National Basketball Training Center, the official grassroots program of the SBP.
