By: Ohmer Bautista
In spite of the abrupt end to the Season 94 NCAA campaign of the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA, a ray of hope is still burning for the Altas, as Prince Eze – their prized center – is among the frontrunners for the elusive season MVP.
This 6-foot-10 big man has been spectacular all season long as he held the fort against the likes of Donald Tankoua, Hamadou Laminou, and Mike Nzeusseu – among others – all the while stuffing the sheets to the tune of 18.2 points, 16.5 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks per game.
And among the majority who think that he will take home the plum this season is none other than his head coach, Frankie Lim, who strongly believes that the individual award is already a lock for Eze.
“This is our MVP,” Lim proudly declared.
“Pag hindi nag-MVP ‘to, merong anomaliya.”
For the Nigerian student-athlete, however, if he really does bag the award, it is nothing but a culmination of the hard work that he and his coach have put into the hardwood ever since the moment they met.
“Before the season starts, he called me and told me to do everything and he’s gonna make me MVP,” the soft-spoken stalwart recalled. “Every time I’m in the game, sometimes I’m off, I look like a ghost. He still showed us the sign to keep playing.”
He then added, “Basically, last season, I mean, the coach wouldn’t like to listen to you. Even when you are dying, he wanted you to play. When coach Frankie came in, I listened then I told him. So he listened to me too. We started to work things out.
“Thank God that everything worked out well.”
Hearing this from Eze, Lim couldn’t help but reminisce on how they worked from ground up to get where they are today.
“Tama yung sinabi niya – when I arrived, siya yung unang kinausap ko. Sabi ko, ‘I need your commitment here, you should be here and I’m going to give you your goods’,” he said.
“‘With the quality minutes I’m gonna give you, I think your going to be the MVP.’
“Kaya again, ‘pag ito hindi naging MVP, parang nanalo yung pato sa sabungan,” the bench strategist confided.
But aside from being in the conversation of this season’s MVP, Eze is thankful for the team’s improvement this season under the tutelage of Lim’s cunning mind.
“After the game, I go home and sleep, he keeps on thinking how to move us further. So, we are here. We’re so fortunate that we have gone this further,” the Nigerian reinforcement shared. “Even [against] stronger teams. I mean it will feel impossible, but we keep on believing in each other and coach always tell us what to do.
“I thank God, last season we were eight, this season we are fourth…I’m grateful.”
Whether Eze leaves this season with an MVP in his hand or not, one thing is for sure: he always gave his hundred percent. As Lim puts it:
“You let him know what’s in it for him, he’ll work for you.”
