Janjan Felicilda will meet some good friends on Saturday.
For the first time since he and Reyland Torres left National University to go to University of the Philippines a year ago, he will get to face the Bulldogs in the UAAP.
And the point guard out of Bayugan, Agusan del Sur can’t wait.
“Excited lang ako tsaka masaya din. Siyempre magkikita-kita kami ulit,” said Felicilda.
More than the reunion, Felicilda knows there’s something at stake in the contest — early bragging rights.
The winner of the contest will leave the SMART Araneta Coliseum as the sole unblemished team in the tournament.
“Siyempre alam ko na hindi madali yung matchup na yun. Siyempre malakas din sila. Kailangan namin magtrabaho talaga sa ensayo. Dapat maging ready kami sa mga challenges na mahaharap namin sa Sabado,” continued the 22-year-old pint-sized guard.
And Felicilda is more than ready for them.
In UP’s 84-69 victory over University of the East last Wednesday, Felicilda tallied eight assists, five rebounds, and two steals in nearly 25 minutes of action. He was a plus-25.
“Sa akin lang naman, may kanya-kanya kaming role sa team. Ginawa ko lang yung role ko as a point guard, parang nag-facilitate lang ako, shinare ko lang yung bola sa mga teammates ko,” he shared.
UP, which is one of the favorites this year to go all the way, has one of the league’s most stacked lineups. The Fighting Maroons’ squad composition begs the question of how will they properly share the ball with each other considering the majority of them were top stars from high school.
Thankfully for Coach Goldwin Monteverde, he has players in the team like Felicilda who is willing to take a backseat. Other guys may hog the headlines more but it is individuals like him who balance things out to ensure that the team always wins.
“Sobrang importante yung role namin ni kuya Mai (Cagulangan) kasi siyempre marami na kaming scorer like sila Harold (Alarcon), CJ (Cansino). Kailangan namin igalaw talaga yung bola. Kailangan namin sila ilagay sa tamang posisyon para maka-score,” he said.
“Sabi nga nila Coach Gold sa amin palagi na maglaro kami (sa) kung ano yung instinct namin. Kumbaga, laruin namin kung ano yung talagang laro namin. Kumbaga nandiyan yung mga plays pero guide lang yun. Tsaka tiwala naman sina Coach Gold sa mga wisyo namin.”
