In a testament to the wisdom of his sisters, legendary National University volleyball legends Dindin and Jaja, Lenard Santiago heeded their advice to “just keep going,” delivering his best performance yet in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Santiago played a pivotal role in National University’s 67-47 upset victory over championship contender University of the Philippines on Sunday at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.
Santiago, a Human Resource Management student, contributed eight points and five rebounds, finishing with a plus-20 rating for the Bulldogs during his 17 minutes on the court.
“Sa mga ate ko, (sabi nila) yun lang keep going lang no matter what. Always be ready, kagaya ngayon. Ayun parang nabigyan ako ng time, and ready lang din naman ako sa kung ano papagawa sakin. Kumbaga, always ready lang and play hard,” said the 23-year-old native of Cavite.
“Sila po yung nag-decide para sakin na pumunta ng NU, parang to play UAAP din para ma-experience ko. Ayun, alam ko naman din na may ibubuga din ako.”
Before transferring to NU, Santiago was part of the Centro Escolar University program, which accomplished a 14-game sweep in the UCBL 5.
He stood out for the Scorpions, averaging 15.4 points on 45.7 percent shooting from three-point range, along with 4.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.8 steals per game, which earned him the Most Valuable Player and All-UCBL team awards.
He wanted to challenge himself in the UAAP, and moving to the Bulldogs felt like a natural choice, especially since his older sisters had been standouts on the school’s volleyball team.
His former CEU coach, Chico Manabat, is married to Dindin and shares a close working relationship with Santiago’s current mentor, Jeff Napa.
These connections made it clear that NU was the best place for him to advance his career.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“(Kasama sa adjustment) yung new system na hindi lang sa isang tao yung bola — involved lahat eh,” Santiago explained. “Yun yung adjustment: kung paano mo babasahin yung defense, kung paano ka magbabasa ng offense. Mind game talaga. Wala namang (pinagkaiba). Halos parehas din sila ng pakikitungo sa relationship with players and coaches. Kumbaga, close lahat eh.
“Siguro after namin mag-champion sa UCBL, yan yung time na parang ni-recruit ako ng NU. So maybe si Coach Jeff at si Coach Chico, alam naman natin close sila before, pero siguro napag-usapan na nila na para ma-experience ko ang UAAP and kaya ko naman maka-contribute sa team na to.”
Santiago is eligible for only one more season with the Bulldogs, having played three years for the Scorpions after graduating from being a Letran Squire in high school.
For him, this victory over the Fighting Maroons demonstrated that the Bulldogs still have plenty of fight left in them as they aim to finish Season 87 on a high note. He credited the entire NU squad for his success in the game.
“Actually, di lang naman ako eh, buong team,” he said. “Kumbaga, kailangan namin tuloy-tuloy lang namin itong play defense namin, communication namin, and tapusin namin ng maganda tong season na to.
“Pakita namin na hindi lang kami ‘yung ito lang kami kulelat. Kumbaga, may ibubuga parin kami kahit na undermanned kami dahil nawalan kami ng FSA. Trabaho pa rin.”
