Robi Nayve had himself a game against University of Perpetual Help in the 2022 Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup on Friday.
The 5-foot-10 guard shot the lights out producing 26 points together with seven rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block enough to give College of Saint Benilde a 91-78 win.
It was a great performance and a win for Nayve as he was dedicating it to his late grandfather.
“Emotional.
“Tina-try ko talaga to keep within myself lang yung nararamdaman ko ngayon,” said the 22-year-old native of Davao City, who shot 66-percent from the field.
Dionisio Duco, Nayve’s grandfather, passed away yesterday at the age of 75-years old due to cancer.
Duco was in Iloilo.
“It’s been a while na nakita ko siya, and parang siguro I can say lang na ilang years ko na siyang hindi nakikita. Puro lang kami nag-uusap sa Messenger,” shared Nayve, who was trying to fight off tears.
Carrying a burden coming to the game, his grandfather had his last breath without him saying his goodbyes in person.
“My parents wanted me to go there, pero para sakin I have my own priorities din with the team since I’m one of the leaders ayoko din mag-miss sa training so parang for me na nalaman ko na wala na siya, parang nandun yung guilt na hindi ko siya nakita, and matagal na yun for me,” he shared.
“He was asking me sana to do shoutouts for him every game kaso hindi ko na nagawa yun since nawawala sa isip ko, and when we learned this year na he has cancer pala, bumalik yung sakit niya.”
Though it was a little too late, Nayve was able to give his grandfather the best tribute as he lifted the Blazers back to the win column while also being named the best player of the game.
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The entire 2022 Filoil Ecooil Preseason Cup will stream LIVE on Smart Sports Facebook page
