Sidney Onwubere. Photo by Randolph B. Leongson
Sidney Onwubere struggled to hold back his tears as he looked around Filoil Flying V Centre and soaked in the moment after Emilio Aguinaldo College survived a gallant stand from Perpetual, 83-81, on Tuesday.
Though the Generals failed to reach their goal of making it to the Final Four, the Fil-Nigerian forward got what he wanted — a win to cap off his collegiate career.
“I will miss this all. The crowd, the fans, the drums. I will really miss all of this,” said Onwubere, who netted 18.06 points, 12.38 rebounds, 2.88 assists, and 1.56 blocks in his fifth and final year to lead EAC to a 7-11 record.
The triumph was a fitting farewell for Onwubere, who could arguably be the most successful product of the EAC basketball program of this era.
Though injuries held the Generals back from accomplishing their target, the 23-year-old was happy that the Generals eclipsed their record this season from last year.
“Our focus this season was really to make it there. But at least, we improved our record from last year,” he said.
Onwubere is also hoping that the ones that will be left in the auspices of EAC will draw inspiration for what he did in his eight-year stay in San Marcelino.
“I always tell them that it’s all about the hard work. I always tell them that the only way we can catch up to the ones above us will be through hard work,” he said. “I’m very grateful for the EAC community and I hope that this campaign will help the guys for the next year.”
Onwubere now gears up for a new challenge in his career as he is set to enter the 2017 PBA Rookie Draft.