Mapua Cardinals in the NCAA Finals. –NCAA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—When San Beda cheered and sang its alma mater after stunning Mapua in the NCAA Season 99 men’s basketball Finals on Sunday, Cardinals guard Paolo Hernandez bowed his head and hid his tears.
The first guy who came to his aid was none other than the Season 99 MVP Clint Escamis.
“We’ve been through a lot. We’ve been through championships and heartbreaks and I just reminded him, because he was down, that our career doesn’t end here. This could be our way to be better players and people, in general,” said Escamis, who finished with 13 points in a 76-66 loss in Game 3.
“There’s so many opportunities in the future. It doesn’t end here. i just told him also that I’m thankful that he’s my teammate.”
Mapua’s backcourt tandem goes way back during their high school days.
Before Escamis bounced from Mapua to University of the East, he wreaked havoc in the NCAA junior’s division along with Hernandez.
Clint Escamis.–NCAA PHOTO
And when he came back home to Intramuros after a subpar season with the Red Warriors, Hernandez was still there, ready to take the court with him again.
Hernandez finished with just six points in the most important game of the season but that didn’t seem to faze Escamis or any of the other Cardinals.
For that, Hernandez is thankful for the kind of bond he has with his fellow former Red Robin.
“Clint is like my brother. Since back in high school, we already went through a lot. I’m proud of him for being the MVP. When he went near me earlier, I just cried because we failed and fell short but he’s still there as my brother.”
Escamis still has two years of eligibility while Hernandez has one more and there’s a high possibility for the duo to run it back next year.