Nambatac out to make his own name in Letran
Rey Nambatac. Photo from NCAA.org.ph
MANILA, Philippines – The way rookie Rey Nambatac plays reminds Letran of its former star of not too long ago.
A fearless attacker and a confident shooter, those are just a few of the similarities between Nambatac and Kevin Alas, who were also high school standouts with the Letran Squires.
“Majority are saying that (I play like Alas),” Nambatac told INQUIRER.net after his 13 points helped the Knights survive Emilio Aguinaldo College Saturday night for the early lead in the standings with a 2-0 record. “The next Kevin Alas nga daw.”
“Para sa akin, happy ako kasi ganon yung expectations nila sa akin. Hindi sila nagsasabi ng mga negative comments about sa akin.”
Like Alas, Nambatac also opted to stay put in Letran despite being heavily recruited by other schools.
“Before I even graduated in high school, nag-decide na ako na 100 percent talaga ako na sa Letran,” said the six-foot Nambatac, whose loyalty to Letran is a rare quality in today’s prized high school recruits. “Malapit kasi yung puso ko sa Letran, malaki utang na loob ko sa kanila.”
The 18-year-old former national youth team player also said that he has always been a fan of Alas’ game.
“Nasa province pa lang ako nakilala ko na siya, nakikita ko na siya sa TV. Hindi ko ine-expect na yung part niya makukuha ko,” said the Cagayan de Oro native.
Nambatac understands that he will always be compared to Alas, who decided to forego his final year of eligibility, but that doesn’t mean he’ll just follow Alas’ footsteps.
The next Kevin Alas? Nambatac has no plans to become one.
“Hindi ako nagpapadala doon kasi ako, I will make my own destiny kung paano ko i-angat yung team ko, yung pangalan ko, yung sarili ko. May kanya-kanya naman tayong skills.”
