ANTIPOLO — When Fran Yu entered the Ynares Center here, he was given a giant hug by batchmate Louie Sangalang.
Of course, there was a sense of relief that his suspension for Game 3 did not affect the play of Colegio de San Juan De Letran as the Knights routed College of Saint Benilde to take their third straight title.
But the 24-year-old floor general out of Tondo also made sure to do his part in helping the team for the game of no tomorrow.
“Siyempre, unang-una yung tiwala ko, buong-buo na binigay sa kanila kasi nga na DQ ako nung second game,” said Yu as he also helped the coaching staff in chopping down tape.
“Gabi-gabi ako nagmemessage sa kanila sa GC namin kasi yun lang naman ang matutulong ko.”
There were a lot of Knights who stepped up for their disgraced captain.
Fellow seniors King Caralipio and Brent Paraiso delivered 20 points and 10 rebounds; and 16 points, respectively.
Sangalang played tough defense on reigning MVP Will Gozum while rookie Kobe Monje fired 11 points.
“Sobrang saya kasi naka-rare three-peat ako. Medyo malungkot kasi hindi ko nalaro yung final game ko,” said Yu, who was the NCAA Season 95 Finals MVP.
“Pero okay lang yun, tuloy-tuloy lang.”
After the game, Caralipio, Paraiso, and Sangalang would tell the world that they did this for Yu.
“Sobrang blessed ako na sila ang kasama ko sa final year,” he said.
But after the game, it’s now time for the quartet to go their separate ways.
With the PBA Draft still a full 10 months away, Yu will take his time before making a decision on where he will go next.
“Akin wala pa pero mag-eenjoy muna ko kasama sa kanila. Miss ko na etong mga to kasi hindi ako nakalaro. Focus muna ko sa family after.”
