When Mike Nzeusseu left the SMART Araneta Coliseum last November 17, the hulking big man was downcast. With his head down, he vowed:
“We need to be tough, we need to be more aggressive. There is no room for kindness from the first game to the last game. We need to play with a champion’s mentality in all our games,” he said.
“There is no room for excuses anymore.”
To be tougher, the Lyceum Pirates — who were backed by the Zark’s Jawbreakers — joined the PBA D-League. Here the young Pirates were able to face school-based squads reinforced by PBA aspirants and former pros. And unlike the NCAA, they did not cruise through the elimination phase, as they entered the playoffs as the sixth seed.
And it taught them that they should stick together through adversity.
“It thought us how to stay together. Majority of the conference we were down before getting back up,” the Cameroonian student-athlete reflected.
“We have to play together and help each other to overcome things.”
Game Three of the Aspirants’ Cup Finals was a microcosm of the Jawbreakers’ campaign. During the third canto, they faced a 14-point deficit and could not get things going. That’s when Nzeusseu took matters into his own hands. Inspiring him was Cleveland Cavaliers superstar Lebron James, who had towed his team to a first round win over the Indiana Pacers with averages of 34.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 7.7 assists.
“Mike is LeBron James — that’s what he told us he is. He believes in himself.
“I remind him about his posture because I want him to be a dominant force down there. He’s really an MVP for me. He just keeps on playing and he’s confident,” shared Zark’s-Lyceum head coach Topex Robinson.
“I like Lebron James. Watching him during the first round of the NBA playoffs, doing whatever it takes, that was my mentality heading into the game,” added Nzeusseu.
“Whatever it takes to get the win because no one will ever give it to us.”
Nzeusseu dominated afterwards, grabbing rebounds left and right while overpowering Che’lu-San Sebastian’s frontline. As the dust settled, the Jawbreakers were able to turn things around, winning the crown 92-82.
When asked if the D-League helped them become what he wanted a few months ago, Nzeusseu, who finished the game with 28 points and 18 rebounds, quipped:
“Yeah.”
