College of St. Benilde’s Migs Oczon faced his former school, National University, for the first time since transferring a year ago.
The 6-foot guard scored a game-high 21 points built on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor during the Blazers’ lopsided 72-82 loss against the Bulldogs in the 2022 Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup.
But this was not actually the very first time he had squared off against the Bulldogs.
“For me, okay naman. Actually, nung mga bubble, nag-tune up kami against NU so yun yung parang first time ko talaga na nakalaban sila,” Oczon shared.
“Pero, siyempre, masaya mga dating kong kasama nakakalaban ko, may mga kasama ako sa NU ever since high school.
“Chiang Kai [Shek] pa lang ako, naging kasama ko na sila so very bittersweet sila kalaban pero, okay naman kasi, as competitiors gusto natin yun eh, to compete sa mga friends natin.” he added.
When he was still a Bulldog, his teammates were Enzo Joson, John Lloyd Clemente, John Galinato, and Ildefonso brothers Shaun and Dave.
Oczon only played one year in NU under coach Jamike Jarin where they endured a dismal 2-12 record back in Season 82. He was also a part of the 2019 Gilas U-19 pool alongside his current head coach Charles Tiu.
The former Bulldog mentioned that he’s already comfortably blending with the system of the Blazers as the team welcomed him with open arms.
“Easy naman kasi yung mga kasama ko very welcoming sila, tapos very open sila sa pagdating ko and ano naman, mabait naman lahat. Yung system ni coach Charles, naging very comfortable pagpasok ko pa lang, so yun for me, hindi naman siya ganun kahirap pagpasok ko ng Benilde,” said the native of Davao City.
“Okay naman, kasi lahat kami naka-dorm eh so parang solid yung sa mga roommate ko. Yun, lagi kami magkasama, lagi kami nasa same building, so yun parang minsan sawa kami sa isa’t isa pero okay naman, masaya.”
With his recent injury against the highly-physical game with Adamson, Oczon’s father came to visit him. For a guy like him, family comes first.
And in the upcoming NCAA Season 98, Oczon just wants to do his best for his school and the team – which he considers his second family.
“Siguro from what I saw from the bubble, siguro very physical, pero exciting naman kasi it’s a new experience for me coming from the UAAP. Siguro, I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be fun.”
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The entire 2022 Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup will stream LIVE on Smart Sports Facebook page
