NATIONAL University’s shock exit has left disappointed team star Ray Parks with several options.
He is now toying with the idea of jumping to the pros, returning to the United States, or going for another shot at the varsity crown after the Bulldogs’ UAAP campaign came to a painful end in the Final Four of the men’s basketball tournament.
“There are lots of things going on in my mind right now,” said Parks the other day.
The son of former seven-time PBA Best Import Bobby Parks had reasons to feel uncertain of his future after the Bulldogs, the No. 1 seed after the eliminations and expected to go all the way to the Finals, failed to get the job done.
The Bulldogs had two chances to reach the championship series for the first time in 43 years, but the gung-ho Growling Tigers of University of Santo Tomas squad blocked their way.
“They showed up, they played tough and they played their type of basketball,” Parks said after the fourth-ranked Tigers overcame the Bulldogs’ twice-to-beat semifinal advantage last Saturday.
“It could have been our lack of experience. They (Tigers) are veterans, they’ve been there, done that.”
The Tigers, the losing finalists last year to the Ateneo Eagles, became the first No. 4 team to advance to the Finals after stunning the Bulldogs, 76-69, in their do-or-die contest for the right to face the La Salle Green Archers.
Kevin Ferrer powered the Tigers just as he did in their first semifinal clash a week earlier where they won in a 71-62 decision that forged the winner-take-all duel.
Ferrer also hounded Parks in the series as the two-time MVP wound up scoreless in the fourth quarter of the decider. He eventually went down with cramps in the final minute.
“I’ve got some thinking to do,” said Parks. “I’m not sure yet if I’m leaving because I really want to get that championship.”
The Bulldogs’ ouster also derailed NU’s bid for a rare three-division title romp as both its juniors and women’s teams had already advanced to the Finals.
“I just want to take time off, probably train in the States,” said Parks. “[The PBA Draft], of course, it’s still an option.”
Indeed, Parks and the Bulldogs have a lot to think about after a remarkable run came to a nightmarish end.
Even coach Eric Altamirano’s future with the Bulldogs remains uncertain as the season marks the end of his three-year contract.
“We’ll see where it goes from here,” Parks said as he walked out of the arena, leaving everyone guessing if the league star just played his final collegiate game.