When William Navarro transferred from the San Beda College to the Ateneo de Manila University back in 2016, the young upstart did not expect anything. But after a year, the 20-year-old has experienced a lot of opportunities with the Blue Eagles.
The 6-foot-5 forward – who played for the youth team of Greek club Panathinaikos – was an integral part of the Blue Eagles’ championship campaign in pre-season tournaments SMART City Hoops, Filoil Flying V Preaseason Cup presented by Chooks-to-Go, and SMART Breakdown Basketball Invitationals. Moreover, the 21-year-old, together with the rest of the squad, was flown to Greece for a training camp and are now campaigning in Taiwan for the Jones Cup.
And Navarro is relishing every single moment that he shares with his new brothers.
“Well, I’m very blessed for having this opportunity. Everyone is not given a chance to play here. I’m just really thankful for everything!” he expressed.
All throughout the pocket tournament, Navarro has been showcasing another facet to his game – creating for his teammates. In five games, he is leading the team in assists, averaging 3.2 dimes per game.
Friday evening, he also showed that he could score, leading Ateneo Pilipinas to a 98-65 win over LSU-Atletas with 20 points to go along with five rebounds, five assists, four steals, and a block in just 23 minutes of game time.
But his highlights were the nifty passes he made to Ivorian student-athlete Angelo Kouame all throughout the game. The chemistry he has with Kouame stems from the close bond they have off the court, that started during their time in Ateneo’s Team Glory Be.
“We are really close. He is like my closest friend in the team because he is also my roommate in the dorm and we bond every time,” said the second-year Atenean.
“So yeah, our chemistry is showing in the court.”
With two games still remaining on their tough slate, Navarro is planning to go all-out to give back to the school that has given him this opportunity.
“I didn’t expect any of this to happen,” he admitted.
“All i did was to trust God because in the first place. I never even thought that I would transfer to Ateneo but all I did was follow God. Just have faith and all the good things will come.”
