MANILA, Philippines – The highest of highs and the lowest of lows.
That phrase perfectly summed up the iconic UAAP men’s basketball career of UP floor general JD Cagulangan as he bowed out a champion one last time for the Fighting Maroons.
From being a non-factor in the La Salle rotation back in Season 82, the do-it-all guard captivated the nation after a pandemic-delayed, three-year wait with UP as he sunk the title-clinching three-pointer that gave the Fighting Maroons their first title in 36 long years.
Cagulangan would return to the finals two more times after that, only to meet silver-laced heartbreak at the hands of rivals Ateneo and his former alma mater La Salle in consecutive seasons.
By Season 87, his last chance at redemption, the 24-year-old star finally broke through again, helping the Maroons exact revenge on the Green Archers in another nip-and-tuck, three-game finals series for a perfect, storybook ending that got him understandably in tears immediately after the series.
Almost hoarse from all the screaming he did, Cagulangan paid no shortage of thanks to everyone who helped him in his collegiate journey, from both maroon and green sides.
“I can’t say anything else but thank you. I’m so happy to have gone to this program,” he said in Filipino in the postgame press conference abruptly cut short with a water and champagne bath.
“They welcomed me well and they deserved to win this season. Thank you to coach Gold [Monteverde] I wasn’t his player [from NU high school], but he gave his full trust. Thank you to my teammates, coaches, and sponsors. And my family, that’s where I get my strength.”
Though he didn’t mention La Salle in his interviews, his actions showed much more that what his words could have said, as he joined the Green Archers in their huddle itself, not just from a far corner, for one last alma mater hymn.
Despite never shooting better than 32% for the entire three-game stretch of the finals, Cagulangan made big plays when they mattered: shots, passes, and everything else in between.
In Game 2 which UP lost by a hair, 76-75, it was Cagulangan who put the Maroons ahead with a series of soul-crushing threes before two-time MVP Kevin Quiambao willed La Salle to a series extender.
Then in Game 3, it was again Cagulangan who doused the Archers’ fire with a tiebreaking three with 6:55 left, 61-58, as a calm response to their 18-4 comeback from down 14, 54-40.
In Season 87, UP always had an army of stars to bring the pain in a variety of ways like Francis Lopez, Quentin Millora-Brown, Gerry Abadiano, and Harold Alarcon, among many more.
But at the end of the day, it was always Cagulangan who rallied the troops together with his battle-tested smarts, skill, and most importantly, leadership, that he got from years of tedious work, both from behind the scenes with La Salle and front and center with UP.
“Just thank you. I have nothing left to say because I’m overwhelmed with support wherever I go. Thank you,” Cagulangan concluded.
Take a bow, JD Cagulangan. Don’t trip on your cape on the way out. – Rappler.com
