During their 66th straight win, the National University Lady Bulldogs had a very special guest inside the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Henry Walker and the Blackwater Elite’s coaching staff were able to stun defending champions Barangay Ginebra Kings, 124-118, inside the Big Dome on Friday evening. Twelve hours later, he was back in the same venue as a fan.
And it was because he wanted to see the legend of the Lady Bulldogs live in person.
“Coach Patrick [Aquino], Coach Aries [Dimaunahan] are part of our coaching staff so, with two days off, I decided to come and check out the team,” said Blackwater’s reinforcement. “I hear a lot of about them, reading the reports and seeing their highlights.
“I wanted to come see it in person.”
For their part, Jack Animam and the Lady Bulldogs were cheering their hearts out for the Elite in their dorm last night.
“Actually, yung game nila kagabi napanood namin. Grabe! They really fought their hearts out, lahat kami sa dorm nagsisigawan nung game na yun,” shared the 19-year-old center. “The way Henry Walker led his team, sobrang galing lang.
“Na-inspire kami na may game kami bukas, parang let’s go!”
NU impressed in their game against the Ateneo de Manila University Lady Eagles, taking a 90-64 rout for their second win of the season. The 6-foot-2 Animam led the way with 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting to go along with eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Walker could not help but be in awe with the way Animam dominated the game.
“She’s an animal down there man,” Walker, a former NBA pro, shared. “Just her poise in the post, her skills down there, she’s always in the right position to receive the ball. Defensively, she’s everywhere to help her team out.
“She’s definitely shown she’s the best player.”
“Overwhelming!” gushed the reigning UAAP Women’s Basketball Most Valuable Player upon knowing what Walker said. “Kung ano yung tiwala na binigay sa akin ng teammates ko at coaches ko binabalik ko lang naman. Gusto ko din manalo para sa kanila. I’m just doing my job.”
Seeing how women’s basketball is played here in the Philippines, Walker plans to watch more of it.
“Most definitely when I have the time! I have two daughters of my own and I hope they aspire to be basketball players as well,” the 10-year pro shared.
“It’s a nice change of pace but I’ll tell you one thing, their game is more physical than ours.”
