Small school goes big thru sports
When the family of taipan Henry Sy acquired National University in 2008, many felt it’s just a matter of time before the university establishes itself as a major power in the UAAP.
They were proven correct. Six years since then, the Bulldogs struck gold in men’s basketball, ending six excruciating decades of agony as a loser and underdog in the centerpiece competitions.
Sy has taken a hands-on approach in breathing life into the NU basketball program, with the help of “very good partners and friends.”
“Honestly, I had a hard time recruiting from Metro Manila so we went to the province and recruit…What we did was, since the players’ families are in the province and we have malls in the province, we promised work or job or whatever for their families. I tried to take advantage of what other schools don’t have,” he said.
Then there’s the small population of NU to consider. With the athletic and academic programs progressing, NU’s student population has risen from less than 1,000 in 2008 to 6,500 this semester.
“In the first year, I just watched, tried to get myself to understand. Of course, our performance was still very bad and then I said, okay, we have to come in,” he said.
“We really had to do a lot of recruitment because nobody wants to even go to the school eh. So we recruited. As you know it was only in our third year that we’re able to recruit Bobby Ray Parks Jr. to join us…Little by little,
players are starting to know us na and enrollment started growing,” he added.
NU now holds not only the coveted men’s basketball title but also women’s basketball tiara, the fourth school to achieve the feat after DLSU (1999-2001 and 2013), UST (94, 95, and 06) and FEU (95).
The Sampaloc-based student-athletes have also reigned supreme in men’s beach volleyball and men’s badminton, aside from ruling the cheerdance competition for the second straight year.
More than sports excellence, Sy said the athletes’ education is paramount at NU.
“One of my emphasis to all the players is studies is most important. As they grow old, sports will have a limit but education is for life. This is actually the direction my father took in buying National. His outlook is that in the future, we will be able to give good education yet affordable. In fact, we’re now the cheapest, cheaper than UP pa nga,” he said.