Three seasons have passed, yet the weight of unfinished business and heartbreak still sits heavily on the shoulders of National University Nazareth School head coach Kevin de Castro.
Since taking the helm of the Bullpups’ program, De Castro has consistently come agonizingly close to capturing the ultimate prize in the highly competitive UAAP boys’ basketball field.
A bronze finish in Season 85 was followed by back-to-back runner-up finishes in Seasons 86 and 87.
While these results may look respectable on paper, they have proven far more daunting for a tactician eager to bring closure to the heartbreaks and setbacks that repeatedly kept NUNS from reclaiming the lofty standard it set during the tournament’s pre-pandemic era.
As the UAAP Season 88 Boys’ Basketball Tournament tips off this Sunday, the familiar sting of near-misses has reshaped De Castro’s perspective — turning past pain into fuel and motivation.
“It’s more of motivation pa rin. Lahat naman ng coaches, ng team, yung inaasam-aasam. Pero sa akin, personal ko rin siguro, kung makuha ko man yan, masasabi ko na ako yung pinakamasayang tao sa buong mundo,” the fourth-year mentor told Tiebreaker Times in a phone interview.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
For De Castro, NUNS’ redemption arc goes beyond simply correcting past mistakes. It is about reshaping the program’s narrative altogether.
Armed with the lessons of the past three seasons, De Castro now leads a retooled Bullpups side that will move forward without Season 87 Best Foreign Student Athlete Collins Akowe, along with Migs Palanca and Mac Alfanta. Still, the coach yearns for one more shot at a championship to finally exorcise the ghosts of the past.
“Sinasabi ko lagi sa mga players na yung goal naman nandyan palagi pero at the same time, yung mina-mold ko sa kanila, yung goal ko naman sa kanila is for their future. So yan lang yung naging motivation ko sa kanila throughout the year,” De Castro shared.
“Kung makuha namin, siguro blessed na rin. At the same time, kung makuha ko ‘man, siguro masasabi ko na blessed ang mga players and even sa mga coaching staff na meron ako.”
In his pursuit of closure, De Castro did not have to look far for new pillars who share the same goal of bringing NUNS back to the summit of UAAP boys’ basketball. He instead looked to second-generation hoopers Rob Celiz and Mot Matias, along with Legazpi native Shaun Lucido.
Alongside key holdovers Chad Cartel and Miekho Natinga, De Castro believes the sky is the limit for the duo that delivered him his first UAAP title as a head coach: the Junior High School basketball championship in Season 86 (2024).
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Very happy ako kasi alam naman nila kung ano yung gusto ko ipagawa sa kanila. Magkakakilala na kami for the past two or three years so at least, kahit papaano, may next year pa sila. Very happy ako kasi meron akong dalawang talented guard na kaya mag-score in a variety of ways,” De Castro shared.
In that tournament, Celiz drilled the walk-off triple that sealed the crown, while Lucido emerged as the Most Valuable Player.
This time, however, a far more daunting challenge awaits the two as they prepare to be tested against the likes of UST’s Wacky Ludovice, FEU-D’s Cabs Cabonilas, UE’s Ethan Aguas, along with five other foreign student-athletes from UST, FEU-D, UE, De La Salle-Zobel, and Ateneo.
Still, De Castro remains confident that the growth, maturity, and work ethic Celiz and Lucido have displayed over the past year will translate into the same success they once achieved in the junior high ranks.
“Ako feel ko, hindi na sila mahihirapan kasi ever since natapos yung 16-under namin, talagang sinabak ko na sila sa Team B ng 19-under namin. Yung adjustment period, na-experience na nila, and at the same time, sa practices namin, nakikita ko yung growth nila mula pa sa 16-under ranks days nila,” he said.
“Kahit papaano, yung duo na yan, talagang masasabi kong competitive scorers. Ngayon, mino-mold din namin sila na hindi lang scoring, but at the same time, maging two-way player na rin for their future.”
NUNS begins its redemption tour against Adamson University this Sunday at 2:00 PM at the Ateneo Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
