MANILA, Philippines – National University's (NU) amazing transformation from UAAP laughingstock to powerhouse continues this season, with the former cellar-dwellers already racking up three championships in the seniors division, as well as the cheerdance crown.
In just the first semester, NU has won titles in women's basketball (a first for the school), men's beach volleyball, and men's badminton. Its girls team also triumphed in volleyball in the juniors division.
NU is thus on track to surpass their total of four seniors championships in Season 76, when they ruled men's volleyball and beach volleyball, and men's and women's tennis.
As recently as four years ago, NU did not manage to win a single championship in the seniors division, only breaking through in Season 74 when they won the baseball crown. It was the school's first seniors title since 1986.
Since that breakthrough, however, NU has started to make a habit of winning, or, at the very least, contending for championships in the UAAP – a far cry from their status as league doormats in recent years.
The Sy takeover
The improvement of NU's sports program can be traced back to 2008, when the SM Group of Companies acquired majority ownership of the university. Yet sports was not a primary focus for the Sy family when they acquired the school.
"Frankly, one of the basic reason why we got the school was my father's advocacy, that he really wants to give education to deserving students – that is also affordable," SM Prime Holdings Inc. president Hans Sy told ABS-CBNnews.com.
"Good quality education na affordable – that was the only thing in our mind when we got the school," he stressed.
At the time, however, the student body was "less than a thousand," said Sy, which led them to realize that they need to "market" NU. Aside from improving the school through new facilities and buildings, one particularly effective way to advertise NU was through sports.
"When we officially sat down to talk about how to market the school, it kind of came into our mind that the best marketing is through sports, the sports program," Sy said. "We noted how people are so passionate about sports, so we focused on the sports program."
Even NU president Teodoro Ocampo admitted that the UAAP was a great source of promotion for the school in its effort to increase enrollment.
"It goes hand-in-hand eh. 'Pag nanalo ka, you get the media exposure, and people will get to hear about your school. And then, (they say) 'Okay 'yung NU, nananalo,'" Ocampo told ABS-CBNnews.com.
With that in mind, the long-suffering NU sports program was revitalized, with Sy using the same model that they use for their businesses.
"It is simple," he said. "It's just like how we do business. We look for partners, and we empower them to see how to make the best out of it."
"I don't want to take the credit, that it's all upon myself," he added. "I really have some good friends and partners that came in to help, and they were very focused into developing all the programs that we have."
Investments pay dividends in other sports
The results were seen in other sports first. NU won the baseball title in Season 74, then the men's volleyball, beach volleyball and badminton titles in Season 75. Their women's tennis team broke through in Season 76, winning the crown.
Their juniors teams also started to show their worth, with the Bullpups winning the juniors basketball championship in Season 76, while their boys team also won the juniors chess crown.
NU has also won back-to-back titles in UAAP Cheerdance, upending the established dominance of traditional powerhouses like University of the Philippines (UP) and University of Santo Tomas in the process.
"As I said, I got very good partners," said Sy. "So there are partners who immediately get into it, and there are some partners who take a little time. (In cheerdance), they got into it."
"When I entered here five years ago, we presented a five-year development program, so I think we're on the right track," said NU athletic director Junel Baculi. "We've come a long way since the old National University."
The most popular UAAP sports event, of course, is still basketball, and in the past three years, the NU Bulldogs have shown that they were a team to be reckoned with in the tournament.
Historic campaign
Season 77 is already a historic tournament for the Bulldogs, as they made the Finals of the men's basketball tournament for the first time in 44 years – the longest Finals drought in the UAAP, even surpassing that of perennial cellar-dwellers UP.
It was quite a surprising run by the Bulldogs, who upset top-seeded Ateneo in the Final Four to set a date with Far Eastern University in the Finals. They had, after all, lost two-time Most Valuable Player Ray Parks before the season after he decided to pursue his NBA dreams.
"Last year (Season 76), we were supposed to make it to the Finals," Sy said. "Pero alam mo naman, bilog ang bola. No matter what, there is also a certain level of luck into the game."
"Si Ray is still very much a part of us. We do not just say 'they should do this, they should do that.' We give them a free choice, and Ray wanted to pursue something bigger. Quite frankly, we're still behind him, supporting him, for him to achieve his dream," he said.
Without Parks – and big man Emmanuel Mbe – the Bulldogs advanced to the Finals, where they are currently down 0-1 to the Tamaraws in a best-of-three series. Yet the team has shown impressive resolve all season when they play with their backs against the wall, and figures to come out strong in Wednesday's Game 2.
Both Sy and Ocampo gave tremendous credit to Bulldogs head coach Eric Altamirano for the rise of their men's basketball team.
"From the very first day that he started, I was watching him already, and the first thing that he imposed on the boys was really discipline. But his type of discipline is not somebody that will shout or things like that," said Sy.
"It's positive reinforcement, and at the same time, he hits you in the heart. Mako-konsensya ka eh. He makes it a point that the discipline is not imposed through fear, but through respect," he added.
"This guy is the whole package," Ocampo said of Altamirano. "He's not just a coach. He instills values in the kids. You will be proud of them (the players). Hindi sila nananakit, and nakita mo, they are disciplined. Gentlemen sila."
"It's not just all about winning – it's character-building also. He's a good man. I can't say anything negative about this person," he added.
It was not smooth sailing for Altamirano, who was rumored to be on the hot seat when NU failed to make it to the Finals last season despite having Parks and being the No. 1 seed at the end of the elimination round.
"Mr. Sy is not like that," Ocampo quickly said when asked about those rumors. "You fail, he'll say, 'Okay, let's pick up.' Sabi namin, sabi ko nga, 'No negative vibes. Don't say anything negative."
"Let's all just encourage and encourage. We'll get there also. It took the other schools, how many years? Let's not be in a hurry masyado. We'll get there. And look – we made it," he said.
School pride
NU's improved performance in the UAAP has become a great source of pride for its students and alumni, who now have risen from their years of "hibernation," said Ocampo.
"Ang mga alumi natin have been sleeping all these years, and they are all awake. They are there with their full support," he said. "They brought back pride into the school."
"You'll see them walking around with their NU shirts now, hindi na naka-tago sa baul nila siguro. They're all out, and may pride na sila," Ocampo said.
NU students and alumni matched the Ateneo crowd in the Final Four, bringing colorful banners bearing words of inspiration for the Bulldogs, and they continued to come in droves in the Finals, filling the Mall of Asia Arena to capacity along with the equally impressive FEU crowd.
"It's so exciting, what's happening," said Sy, who was at the MOA Arena early and even handed out some clappers to NU students. "It has boosted the morale and the pride of the school."
"I was amazed (by the NU crowd against Ateneo). It gave me the joy of seeing that they are now proud of their school," he added.
Seeing NU alumni take pride in their sports teams was something that Ocampo envisioned when the SM Group came in to take over the school that his grandfather, Don Mariano Fortunato Jhocson, founded in 1900.
"When we partnered with them, sabi ko one way of restoring pride into the school and elevating it in popularity is through the UAAP. So many people follow it, and then look at the media mileage you get," he said.
"So sabi ko, let's work on it. Let's focus on our athletics program because students take pride in that. They graduate, they become alumni, they take pride in that, in their sports program. Look at La Salle and Ateneo, right?" he said.
Focusing on academics
NU's sports program is clearly on the right track, with Baculi even saying they exceeded their goals in the initial five-year development plan that they presented.
With this in mind, Sy is now shifting his focus onto the academic side.
"Sa akin, quite frankly, the sports program is very much there. Ang talagang focus ko ngayon is education," he said. "I want to be able to produce board top-notchers. That's the one that we're now pushing very hard."
NU regularly produces top-notchers in Sanitary Engineering Board Exams, and Ocampo said they also want to "inject the same energy that we do in sports in the academics."
"Of course, our goal is that when our students get out of school, employable sila," he said. "And then, when they're in the company, they can make a statement – whether andoon ka sa pinakamababang position, they'll know na, 'NU graduate, 'yan magaling.'"
These also include their athletes; Ocampo stresses that their athletes will have to do well in school or risk getting dropped from their teams.
"Marami kaming tinatanggal kasi they don't excel in their class," he said. "Even if we don't make the Finals dahil sa isang superstar na bumabagsak, we'll sacrifice that."
NU's enrollment has steadily increased to the point where its student population is now at 6,500. Sy's goal is to reach the same number of students that the school had in its peak years in the 1960s – around 14,000.
The school's facilities have improved tremendously as well, said Ocampo, and they will continue to do so every year.
"What we want is to have the best facilities na affordable, and academic-wise, to have the same standard as the big schools, but at a lower (price)," said Ocampo.
New target: general championship
NU's new goal now is to win the UAAP general championship within the next five years, even though their sports program is still not yet complete.
"We still don't have (a) swimming (team), we still don't have track and field, judo, and the others," Sy said. "But little by little, they're coming in."
"We aspire for that (the general championship)," said Ocampo. "But it will take time. For other schools, it also took time. But with (Mr. Sy) and his full support, I think we can do it in the next three to five years. Five years siguro. We'll go for that."
Baculi is hopeful that the sports program can deliver on that goal, even as he noted that they still have more than 10 teams to form.
"Siguro, kaya," he said of their goal of winning the general championship. "Five years ago, we promised na we will deliver at least in a few events, pero na-surpass namin 'yun. Marami na kaming nagcha-champion."
"We outdid our goals, so hopefully we can outdo our goals for the next five years," he said.
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
