Heart of a champion

Though I’ve written in the past that I wanted the University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) to win so we would have a new champion in the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc., I went to Game 2 with no idea whom to cheer for in the college finals.

But I left wanting the University of the Visayas (UV) to win it all and that’s despite getting an accidental hit by a rushing Gary Cortes.

I got there just as the second half started and UV was trailing the determined Jaguars, who seemed to have lady luck on their side. Then, a few minutes in, Cortes was slapped with a second technical and the crowd I was standing with cheered wildly.

Then minutes later, some crazed dude approached the court only to be stopped by deputy commissioner Danny Duran. I asked Danny what the guy, who kept pointing to his USJ-R shirt, wanted.

“Gusto molabang sa UV side. Ako gi-ingnan nga, ‘ayaw, masumbagan pa lang ka,’” Duran said.

I was standing near where players walk down the court and suddenly, I got hit from behind by a rushing guy. At first, I thought it was the son of that crazed individual and wanted to get him off the court. You know, save the family from further embarrassment. But it turned out the guy was Gary Cortes. The UV bench saw it too and timely intercepted their coach. I think it was Josue Segumpan who jumped over the railing and gave Cortes a bear hug, and calmed him down. Segumpan escorted Cortes back to the dugout and as they passed by me, one guy gave a loud boo two feet behind Cortes’s back and I hushed him.

“Duwa ra ni bai. Ayaw pag ing-ana,” I told him. I’m sure the jeering went both ways but it was at that moment that I realized, I wanted UV to win. Sure, it’s unfair to judge a team by the crazy actions of one individual who entered the court, but I’ve always loved the underdog (as long as it’s not against USC) and at the moment, you could feel how the odds were stacked against the Green Lancers.

I’ve always thought that tagging themselves as the underdog, despite being the two-time champion, was just coach Cortes’s ploy to put the pressure on USJ-R, but with what I saw in Game 2, they were the underdog.

But after that incident, which could unsettle some team, they didn’t buckle and even went as close as four points.

Game 3 is today and whether you’re a UV or a USJ-R fan, make sure to be in the venue because it’s going to be packed. Just remember, though, that it’s just a game and as what Cesafi commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy said in Cebuano to the crowd minutes after that fan crossed the line, “It’s just a game, there’s no need to be violent.”

As for UV, without a coach and with the momentum going to USJ-R going into Game 3, it’s going be a true test of heart and character. And whether they win or lose in Game 3, I hope the team wins that test of heart and character.

I liked how they stayed composed and kept fighting in the dying minutes of Game 2 because for me, that showed the true heart of a champion.

Good luck to both teams tonight and may the better team win.