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| Mapúa Cardinals men's basketball team celebrating its first NCAA championship in 33 years (Image Source: SPIN.ph/Mapúa University) |
Some people would look at it as destiny: Mapúa University's Cardinals ending its 33-year NCAA Men’s Basketball title drought in the league’s centennial season in the same year the Philippines’ premier engineering and technological school is celebrating its 100th founding anniversary. It just might be. But the championship, in true Mapúa sense, was built from the ground up by the collective vision, determination, and hard work of all the stakeholders, from the school’s leaders, officials, coaches, down to the Cardinals. It started from the vision of its brilliant coaches and the school’s administration, nurtured by the support and unwavering belief of the entire Mapúa community. Mapúa athletic director Melchor Divina recalled, “It’s an honor to be a part of this run as an athletic director because I was also with the Cardinals during the 1991 championship. So, winning after 33 years is remarkable, and I can confidently say that over the past few years, the community’s school spirit had consistently been on full display. It’s amazing to see how basketball united everyone in the community.” he added.
Mapúa basketball is a unified force
One of the biggest supporters of the Cardinals is no less than the school’s Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Treasurer Raul Victor B. Tan. Tan came along right when coach Randy Alcantara was promoted to seniors’ head coach which meant that while he stood behind the Cardinals in their highest moments, he also experienced hurdles and struggles with the squad. Tan was with the team when they emerged from the long break brought by the global pandemic to make it to the NCAA Finals for the first time since 1991, losing to the Letran Knights in the Season 97 championship series. After missing out on the Final Four after a slow start in Season 98, the Cardinals bounced right back by reaching the NCAA Finals the next season and coming so close to winning it, losing two consecutive games to San Beda to settle for another bridesmaid finish. But despite the rollercoaster ride, Tan and the entire school never lost faith in the student-athletes, not with the way the Mapúa team – from the coaches, to the players, up to the other staffers – have worked so hard in order to achieve their goal. “During the off-season, I was always in the gym. I kept checking on them. And through that, I saw how hard they were working to get to this position. I’m so happy to see their labors bear fruit and get the ultimate prize.” said Tan. “The team, especially the veterans, have learned so many lessons from that experience. Last year, we won the first game. When we lost the second game, we were sort of asking questions. And we already know how the story of the third game of that series ended against San Beda. But this time, I saw that they already knew what to do. As I always tell them, ‘Put all your nervousness into the game.’ They prepared for it, and we eventually got the championship,” said Tan. All the challenges and the setbacks, it turned out, only served to set the stage for the Mapúa Cardinals’ grand coronation – a championship to highlight the school’s 100th anniversary, in the NCAA’s centennial season no less. Tan quipped, “It was very, very timely. We are truly fortunate that we got this centennial trophy in time for Mapúa’s 100th year. We’re all very happy. The entire community is in euphoria with this development.“
Mapúa, a builder of champions
Perhaps what made Mapúa's rise to the pinnacle of collegiate basketball extra special was how the Cardinals took no shortcuts to the top, identifying talent early and developing these players from the juniors ranks all the way to the senior team. Before becoming the seniors coach, Alcantara won two championships with Mapúa’s juniors’ team with the present-day Cardinals’ biggest star — Season 99 MVP and Season 100 Finals MVP Clint Escamis as one of his players. Also moving up from the Red Robins to the senior team were star guards Lawrence Mangubat and Joaqui Garcia. “Player development is such a big factor in this title run. The continuity from Mapúa's senior high school program to college makes it easier for our student-athletes because we’re basically playing under one system. So, there’s really no adjustment phase for the kids when they play in college,” said Cardinals assistant and Red Robins coach Yong Garcia, a long-time deputy of Alcantara from his time with Mapúa’s juniors program. But a strong juniors program alone simply wouldn’t cut it in an ultra-competitive collegiate basketball scene today. Recruitment goes hand in hand with development. By surrounding their homegrown stars with the likes of JC Recto, Cyrus Cuenco, Marc Igliane, John Jabonete, Yam Concepcion, and Season 100 Rookie and Freshman of the Year Chris Hubilla, Mapúa was armed for the run to this special centennial title. Garcia shared, “With the help of Mapúa management, we were able to bring in more players that we truly needed in the team. More than the skills, we look at players whose mental grit we can develop. Athletes who have discipline. Because if they’re disciplined, teaching and developing them won’t be a problem.”
Home away from home
It’s not hard for Mapúa to bring the best out of its players, because the moment they join the team, they’re welcomed into a tight-knit community who looks out for each other on and off the court. Cuenco, who moved from an NCAA rival school in Arellano, shared how willing he is to fight for the team, the community, and their horde of supporters both in the Philippines and abroad, saying, “You know what they say, you fight for the things that you love, right? And I love this school. I want nothing but the best for Mapúa. I’ll shed blood, sweat, and tears on the court for this community.”
Legacy of winning
Getting to the top is difficult and staying there is certainly harder. But the Cardinals are more than ready to make sure that they turn this momentous season into a stepping stone to develop a winning culture, both for the team and the entire school. Mapúa knows all about keeping an excellent reputation, as for nearly a century, it has maintained its golden status as a key innovator of transformative curricula in terms of engineering schools in the country. Now, the goal of this institution is to translate that culture of excellence into sports. “We have to make sure that this is only the beginning. We have to uphold that winning culture for Mapúa,” said Escamis who still has a year left in his eligibility. Tan has no doubt that this is indeed only the beginning. The school executive is optimistic that the impact of winning a championship will spill over to easier recruitment. “If you start winning, people will start looking at you. They always want winners, so I think we can attract players even if they get good offers from other schools. What we’re trying to do is to manage a program with a long-term mindset, to always look at things from a three to five-year horizon. We want a sustainable program where we can recruit and develop players into driven athletes to ensure that we remain competitive,” said Tan.
To learn more and take part in the journey of the Mapúa Cardinals, visit the official website of Mapùa University at mapua.edu.ph.
