Will Gozum faced his former school University of the Philippines on Wednesday night in the Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup.
However, Gozum and College of Saint Benilde were dealt a lopsided defeat, bowing 117-61.
Though it wasn’t the type of outcome Gozum had hoped for, still, mixed emotions were felt by the 6-foot-7 sweet-shooting big.
“Di ko alam kung ano mafefeel ko pero kasi ‘di ba ang laki ng lamang samin ng UP,” said Gozum.
“Pero happy ako dahil nakita ko yung improvement ng UP talaga, and isang karangalan na makalaban yung UP kasi champion sila sa UAAP.”
The former NCAA juniors champion played two years in UP before transferring to CSB after little to no playing time during his rookie season.
During his freshman year, he only played 4.2 minutes per game, producing 16 points and 12 rebounds for the entire season.
Things got tougher during his sophomore season as he just appeared in a total of three games, logging in just six minutes and 54 seconds.
Things got better for Gozum when he transferred to the Blazers.
In his first season as a Blazer, he put up 13.27 points, 11 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 1.09 steals, and 1.82 blocks per contest. Gozum played a total of 11 games where he averaged 25:18 on the floor while also being a part of the NCAA mythical team.
Despite the circumstance, Gozum remains grateful that he landed in Diliman during his college journey.
“Masaya naman ako sa nangyari and wala naman kailangan i-blame don. So masaya ako sa naging kinalabasan ng laro ko. Kasi trinabaho ko yon, alam ko naman na trinabaho ko yon,” shared the former Fighting Maroon turned Blazer.
When asked about the difference between the UP now compared to the school that he played in, Gozum said the difference was overnight.
Of course, gone from his batch were the likes of the Gomez de Liano brothers, Ricci Rivero, Kobe Paras, Noah Webb, and Jun Manzo.
But those who replaced them were Carl Tamyo, Malick Diouf, and Henry Galinato, among others.
“Grabe, sobrang grabe. Lakas!” quipped Gozum, who was seen exchanging pleasantries with Brix Ramos and AJ Madrigal prior to tip-off.
“Buo yung puso nila e, gusto nila manalo lagi talaga e.”
Gozum has indeed had a roller coaster ride in his college basketball career. And he hopes to have one more crack at his former brothers.
“We’ll bounce back. For sure,” Gozum assured.
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The entire 2022 Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup will stream LIVE on Smart Sports Facebook page
