Pacquiao also shines as Knights beat odds

The current year hasn’t really been rewarding for Manny Pacquiao, who figured in a lopsided loss to Floyd Mayweather in May, saw his professional team Mahindra get beaten black and blue by more seasoned squads and languished when a delegation to win the hosting of the FIBA World Cup went home heartbroken.

But Letran’s shining moment in the NCAA is turning out to be the only bright moment for the soon-to-be-retired Pacquiao in a year that left him hurting from a shoulder injury even if the Mayweather super fight brought him unheard of riches.

Grounded until next year, Pacquiao has resorted to lending a helping hand to those in need and the Knights found a generous patron in the 36-year-old fighting congressman, who even assured the 20-man team a reward of 100,000 each for ending San Beda’s reign as the NCAA’s undisputed supreme power.

Pacquiao assumed the role of team manager early in the tournament when the Knights were beginning to send shockwaves and the players didn’t only exert extra effort but they pushed themselves to the limit, aware that Pacquiao, an eight-division champion, is not used to mediocrity.

After almost getting bowled over in regulation, the Knights decided to go down the well in overtime, much like Pacquiao during the toughest moments of his career, and the title-hungry team weathered a mighty storm and survived the ultimate test.

“The players just refused to lose… they didn’t give up even if San Beda was right there and ready to take it away from them,” said Pacquiao, who is well-loved in the sports world owing to his never-say-die attitude.