By: Jan Marcus Montevirgen
Ateneo de Manila University NBA2K24 head coach Nite Alparas sees a bright future for the E-Gilas Pilipinas, especially with the increasing number of collegiate players who are well-suited for the national team.
Among them is his own player, Paolo Medina, who recently became the first-ever UAAP Esports NBA2K24 champion.
Alparas believes that Medina’s mental and technical skills are exactly what the team needs.
“They [UAAP Esports 2K players] got the skills. Siguro yung commitment lang. Si Paolo, nakikita ko siya, sobrang galing niya. Alam niya kung paano magbasa ng game, alam niya kung saan yung flow ng game. So, yung adjustment niya, mabilis. And yun yung mga kailangan sa national team,” said Alparas during the post-match interview after Ateneo’s victory over La Salle in the grand finals.
In addition to Medina, De La Salle University’s Kegan Yap also has the potential to join the squad.
However, Alparas pointed out that Yap still needs to fine-tune his decision-making on the court.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Kegan is good. Medyo relax siya. Ina-abuse niya lang yung mga cheese na gusto niya. Pero he’s good,” Alparas added.
Having coached E-Gilas since its inception in 2020, Alparas noted the significant difference in managing professional players compared to collegiate athletes.
The challenge, he explained, lies in balancing their academic commitments with their training schedules.
“Siguro yung schedule. Kase first, nag-aaral sila, so ayon din yung priority nila. At the same time, kung paano nila i-balance yung studies and yung sa pag-training namin. So naging committed sila sa training namin, hindi nila pinapabayaan kahit may studies sila,” said Laus PlayBook Esports head honcho.
“[Kapag] wala silang pasok, pupunta sila sa Ateneo para mag-training. So yun yung mga isang challenge na nangyari sa amin. Kase kapag sa pro, kailangan mag-training araw-araw pero dito, kailangan mong i-balance yung school, training.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Despite these challenges, Alparas expressed satisfaction with the progress made by Medina and the Blue Eagles’ NBA2K team.
Their training sessions were held online three times a week and consisted of consultations and film reviews.
“Nag-start kami parang three times a week [mag-practice] and then nagkaroon kami ng one-on-one coaching online. Parang pinapanood ko sila maglaro and mayroon din kaming mga film reviews. Titignan namin yung mga areas for improvement, san pa kami pwede mag-improve and saan yung mga weaknesses ng mga laro niya,” he explained.
From the first day of training to the final timeout in the tournament, Alparas was proud of Medina for consistently following his advice, particularly during the crucial moments of the game.
“Sabi ko, ‘You got to chill. ‘Wag mong madaliin yung game. Kailangan mong maka-score. Ganito lang yung ginagawa niya. Nag-go under siya palagi. Kailangan mong itira kapag nag-go under siya,’ and yun yung nangyari. Nag-go under nanaman, tinira ni Paolo, nakuha niya yung dagger, kaya [nanalo],” Alparas concluded.
