USPF: Living by founder’s mantra
The University of Southern Philippines Foundation football pitch isn’t much of a pitch; in fact, it’s one of the worst fields that I’ve seen in Cebu City. But in what has come to symbolize the school’s athletic program, that hasn’t hampered USPF one bit as it has made the collegiate football final for four straight years.
It lost in all those years, including via a tough penalty shootout, but for Brian Jereza, who is in charge of the school’s non-academic scholars, winning isn’t everything, a welcome attitude in a time when college sports is fast becoming a battle of deep pockets.
It’s a throwback, too, to the school founder, Agustin Jereza, a runner who once met the legendary Jesse Owens and got a pair of his shoes.
“The advocacy of our founder is to give free education in terms of talent,” Jereza said in a wide-ranging talk in USPF yesterday.
But what will talent do you if you don’t have discipline? For that, Jereza is trying to instill discipline among the players, citing the girls’ volleyball team as his model.
He observed, in awe, as the USPF team in the Cviraa just sat on the sidelines, observing the game before them. They were told to start preparing once the score in the final set reached 10 and when it did, they didn’t need to be told.
And when it comes to girls volleyball, USPF has made Cesafi history.
USPF can’t compete with the deep pockets of the other schools but what it has is something else, an almost familial caring of its athletes. Jereza said they held an awards night for their athletes recently, and gave special recognition to those who excelled academically.
“Every time an athlete graduates, I’d go up the stage to shake his or her hand,” he said.
He also said he doesn’t put much importance on trophies, telling an athlete once, “Kanang diploma, mao na ang sakto’ng trophy, kay for life na.”
It’s an attitude, or advocacy, that I’ve long shared. You should see your college career as a stepping stone to a degree, not a professional career.
He took over the basketball program and used the same approach, taking out the hard-headed ones and emphasizing a team approach that is big on discipline. Surprisingly, this team of no superstars is currently undefeated in the Partner’s Cup.
They have a Nigerian player, but I don’t think he qualifies as an import in the strictest sense of the word. Not only is he a dean’s lister, he once surprised the coach by asking for time off from practice during finals week so he could study.
USPF, too, is strict when it comes to the academics requirements of its athletes. Athletes who fail one subject lose 25 percent of their scholarship; those who fail two get dropped from the roster.
In Cesafi, you only need to pass 60 percent of your subject to remain eligible. USPF, too, would never bend over backward for an athlete, no matter how good, if he fails in his or her subjects.
USPF might not win any major trophies soon, but with an approach like that, it’s going to churn out athletes who are going be successful in life, and those are walking trophies worth keeping.