NU alternative beat threw off opponents

IT IS understandable when college coaches ask their teams to play a system anchored on high energy and relentless, unforgiving defense.

After all, there’s so much youthful energy in a college team: Young men or women at the prime of their youth blessed with fresh and sturdy legs and bodies can withstand the pressure of a high-octane approach. Forcing turnovers is the name of the game in college ball and then scoring swiftly on leakouts and fastbreak opportunities.

But here’s where National University was different as it won its first UAAP championship in 60 years last Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

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Coach Eric Altamirano opted to slow down opponents with defense. They didn’t have to pressure them in the backcourt as the ball was being brought up. All they needed was to be sound defensively in the halfcourt whether they were using a zone or a man-to-man.

There was a collective effort to switch quickly on pick and rolls (one of the hardest offensive plays to defend when done well), challenge shots, and collect the rebounds to seal the defensive job.

NU’s defensive alertness forced opponents to dribble too much, have an obstructed view of the hoop for shots and issue passes that could be picked up quickly.

Defense is basketball’s horrible task because there’s nothing but hard work in it.  There’s no pizzazz or glamour in defense as you have to hustle, huff and puff, slide laterally and even backpedal quickly. There are stats to measure success in defense but not as pronounced as the measurements for brilliance in offense.

NU had the gutsy players who made big shots in the crucial stretches of the Final Four duel with Ateneo and in the championship series with Far Eastern University.  The key element for success was that these same stouthearted players were willing to do the tough jobs on the defensive end.

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So NU ended six decades of waiting for its second UAAP title. On social media, there were references to the years when the Bulldogs, simply in the spirit of college competition, plodded on even if they could not compete with the frontrunners.

One couldn’t help but recall the late longtime NU coach Sonny Paguia, who waved his arms and shook his head in frustration each time the Bulldogs botched a play or wasted another winning chance.

Those were the days when every other team played hard to avoid the specter of losing to the struggling Bulldogs.

But over the last decades, with the support of the SM Group, NU has reignited its sports programs. The school has already won titles in women’s basketball, men’s volleyball, baseball, badminton and the cheerdance competition.

Add to this list the basketball title for Season 77. The calm and hard-working Altamirano has instilled in his crew a defensive philosophy that has won games and now finally a title.

The bulldog regained its bite and is now king of the UAAP basketball neighborhood.

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