When Joel Cagulangan left De La Salle University in the early part of 2020 to join University of the Philippines, there was much frustration and consternation within the Lasallian community as it was felt he did not give the school and newly-installed coach Derrick Pumaren a chance to help him reach his full potential.
Fast forward to today and it was him who played like a man on a mission.
While he may not admit it explicitly, his actions on the court showed a guy who had a point to prove against his former team.
“Masaya naman po,” said the 5-foot-9 sophomore guard after UP’s 61-59 win over La Salle. “Hindi naman dahil La Salle ang kalaban at doon ako galing pero may goal po kami. Kumbaga yung goal namin mag 6-1 [record] sa first round.
“Siguro dagdag lang yung dati pero wala na yun. Pero masaya lang talaga ako kase nanalo kami kumbaga yung mga coaching staff grabe talaga ang ginawang preparation para sa amin lalo na yung sa offensive rebounds. Mas marami pa kaming offensive rebounds kaysa sa kanila. Maganda, maganda yung nilaro ng team. Sobrang saya.”
Coming from La Salle Green Hills and leading the school to its maiden NCAA Juniors Championship back in Season 93, hopes were high that the Butuan native would be La Salle’s next homegrown star.
However, things did not go to plan as the erstwhile NCAA Juniors MVP struggled to earn a place in the Green Archers’ rotation in 2019 coming off an injury and he packed his bags to go to Diliman.
During his freshman year in La Salle, the 5-foot-9 guard played a total of 34 minutes spread across four games, totaling just three points, 12 rebounds, four steals, and three assists.
Cagulangan, who had seven assists, five points, five rebounds, and two steals against the Green Archers, stressed that he has no axe to grind against his former school as he even shared a hug with his former head coach Gian Nazario after the game.
“None,” insisted Cagulangan when asked anew if the win had a personal meaning for him.
“Wala.”
Now as coach Goldwin Monteverde’s starting point guard, Cagulangan has embraced the role of being a court general rather than a scorer.
As a full-fledged Fighting Maroon, Cagulangan is simply moving forward after his entry to the UAAP did not go as planned. He has a spring on his step with his career back on track.
“Babalik ako ulit sa tiwala na binigay ni Coach Gold sa akin. Hindi naman ganun kadali kase nandun yung mga prized recruit galing high school. Thankful ako sa mga tiwala ng mga coaches ko sa akin.”
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