By John Bryan Ulanday
AN array of protagonists stepped up to drag University of the Philippines from its long title drought but it was JD Cagulangan who stood the tallest to make that once impossible dream a sweet reality.
From being a transferee, Mr. Cagulangan rose as the new legend in Diliman lore following a heroic performance in the Fighting Maroons’ historic UAAP title for the first time in 36 years.
“…champion na kami,” beamed Mr. Cagulangan, who’s still in cloud nine after draining the shot of his lifetime in UP’s 72-69 win over Ateneo to claim the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball title.
It would not be possible without the Butuan City native, who also went supernova in the previous possessions just to bring UP closer than ever to its long overdue dream of winning the UAAP crown since 1986.
With the Fighting Maroons on the verge of elimination and another year of agony starting at a 64-69 deficit in overtime, Mr. Cagulangan grabbed a huge rebound and converted a fadeaway triple at the shot clock buzzer to bring them within 67-69.
The former La Salle guard then set Finals MVP Maodo Diouf in a smooth pick-and-roll offense for a wide-open dunk that tied the game at 69 in the last 39 seconds of extra time. Mr. Cagulangan also assisted CJ Cansino’s game-trying trey in the regulation.
As if that wasn’t already enough, the former NCAA juniors MVP shot for the stars and hit a booming triple with five tenths of a second left much to the jubilation of the jam-packed MOA Arena crowd.
Wearing jersey No. 13, Mr. Cagulangan finished with 13 points on a Friday the 13th — serving as the long-sought lucky charm for Diliman after almost four decades of championship spell.
UP at one point held a bonfire after ending multiple winless seasons but last night, it finally lit one for a UAAP championship thanks to Mr. Cagulangan and company, who vow to bring home more crowns from here on.