'Shaq' follows footsteps of NBA namesakes
THIS T Cebuano guard has “basketball” stamped st all over him, and it’s unsurprising p since he was named after NBA legends le Shaquille O’Neal and “Sir” Charles C Barkley and took up the sport as soon as he could walk and dribble.
Sir Shaquille Imperial, known for his p prolific outside shooting and gutsy drives, is currently one of the blazing collegiate st stars in the Queen City of the South after w winning his first Cebu Schools Athletic Fo Foundation Inc. (Cesafi) men’s basketball ke title last year.
The reigning Cesafi Most
V Valuable Player ( MVP) was one o of the key players of the Southwestern w University Cobras when th the team dethroned the University o of the Visayas Green Lancers in the 2 2019 Cesafi Season.
The Cobras ended a five- year title d drought and denied the Lancers their fo fourth straight title.
The championship that came with the M MVP trophy was the sweetest moment fo for Imperial, who started his collegiate ca career as a bench player for the University of Perpetual Help Altas before driving for th the win with the Cobras.
Distinguished as one of the league’s top scorers and dependable outside marksmen, Imperial’s career was built on hard work, patience and perseverance.
“I did not mind how much playing time I had. I just gave everything [I had] every time my number was called and enjoyed every minute I played,” Imperial recounted to TheManila Times . “I worked hard, developed my game and stayed patient.”
Imperial had to go through many ups- and- downs before winning the 2019 championship. In the season standing of the previous year, the Cobras nearly finished at the bottom.
While the 2020 season was postponed indefinitely due to community quarantine restrictions on contact sports and mass gatherings, Imperial is still focused on his final year playing for Cesafi.
“Trying out for the PBA D- League, MPBL or PBA Rookie Draft is still not in my mind right now. My focus is to play one more year in Cesafi,” he said.
The 24- year- old said he does not expect to reach the PBA but admits that playing in Asia’s first play- for- pay league is one of his dreams.