Mapua University is off to a scorching hot start in the ongoing NCAA Season 99 Juniors Basketball Tournament.
The Red Robins currently hold a share of the top spot in the standings at 4-0 after trouncing the JRU Light Bombers, 72-57.
In his second 20-point outing of the season, Lawrence Mangubat has proven to be a pivotal piece in Mapua’s bid to reclaim NCAA glory.
Coming off his best game thus far, notching a season-high 25 points, the 5-foot-11 Cebuano had nothing but praise for the squad’s talented coaching staff headed by Yong Garcia.
“Thankful talaga ako sa coaches namin kasi grabe ‘yung binigay na kumpiyansa sa’kin at sa teammates ko,” Mangubat shared.
Four games into the season, the 19-year-old point guard has already tested his mettle against some of the best the NCAA has to offer.
However, in his first year with Mapua, he remains humble and even asserts that his shots just kept falling by chance, which is a testament to how much trust is placed on their system.
Mangubat noted that although the team is happy with their strong showing so far, “hindi pa tapos, nagsisimula pa lang ang laban.”
The transferee from Cebu Institute of Technology-University also asserts that although their end goal is another title for the Red Robins, they plan to take it one game at a time.
“Mabibigat mga kalaban sa next games, pero tuloy lang kami na makikinig sa turo ng mga coaches namin,” the Cebuano added.
The young stalwart credits his family, his girlfriend, and the Mapua faithful as his inspirations throughout the season.
As his ceiling seems to keep increasing with every passing game, it looks like there’s no stopping the Red Robins with Mangubat leading the charge.
