At the onset of NCAA Season 99 Seniors Basketball Tournament, Lyceum of the Philippines University appeared absolutely unstoppable.
The Pirates faced one of the toughest schedules among NCAA teams to start the season, with early matchups against last year’s runner-up, College of Saint Benilde, three-time defending champions, Colegio de San Juan de Letran, and notable dark horse contenders, University of Perpetual Help System DALTA.
Despite their challenging draw, they breezed through all three contenders and carried that momentum throughout the first round, starting the season 6-0.
The Pirates looked like the best team in the league, and their position at the very top of the standings reflected that. However, their early success also became their downfall.
After securing their sixth win in a 67-62 battle against San Beda University, the Pirates unexpectedly went on a three-game losing streak to close out the first round.
Their last match was as heartbreaking as possible, as Lyceum let slip an 87-88 double-overtime thriller to Jose Rizal University. Instead of securely holding the top spot in the standings, Lyceum suddenly found itself among other NCAA contenders looking to surpass them and reach the final four.
Pirates eam captain Enoch Valdez believes that he and the rest of the squad became too complacent after their hot start, losing sight of their main goal of making it back to the final four.
“Hindi ko alam eh, siguro nagiging,parang, konting ano lang sa referee umaarte na. Yung parang may naputanayan na kami, pero wala pa kaming napapatunayan eh. Nakakalimutan lang kung saan kami nagsimula. Umaakyat pa lang kami tapos sobrang dami nang arte. Deserve namin ‘to, kasi parang masyado nang nagkacomplacent, nagkakumpiyansa na,” the 6-foot-2 do-it-all forward said frustratedly.
“Dapat hindi kami ganoon kasi, paano namin maaabot yung goal namin kung binigyan ka lang ng anim ng panalo akala mo tapos na. Lalo na sa mga team ngayon, yung JRU kita mo, sobrang lakas nila hindi mo masasabi diba. Sobrang nakakalungkot lang yung nangyari na three straight losses kami.”
The mental obstacles that Lyceum faced were most evident in that double-overtime loss against JRU. Though they fought back valiantly from a double-digit deficit to force the two overtimes, Valdez believes that the comeback wouldn’t have been necessary if they had been focused from the beginning.
“Sa kanila, ayaw din nila matalo, pero hindi na dapat umabot sa overtime sa sitwasyon na ganoon eh. Kung una pa lang binigay na namin yung best namin, kasi lamang ata sila all the way. Dapat hindi na umabot sa ganoon,” shared Valdez, who was drafted by NLEX during the 2023 PBA Draft.
As the team captain, Valdez knows that the responsibility falls on him to rally his squad and get them back on track in the second round.
“Kahit anong mangyari dapat positive ka pa rin. Imomotivate ko sila na tuloy-tuloy pa namin, kasi hindi pa naman kami out,” Valdez promised.
Valdez and the rest of the Pirates will have a chance for a rematch against JRU in their first game of the second round, scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday at the Filoil Ecooil Centre. Look for the Pirates to approach that matchup with the same intensity, vigor, and dominance that was evident at the beginning of Season 99.
