NUNS Bullpups go down swinging in NBA Rising Stars Invitationals

MANILA, Philippines—Nazareth School-National University (NUNS) may not have gone deep in the inaugural NBA Rising Stars Invitationals but the Bullpups swung for the fences on their way out.

The Bullpups succumbed to Yongsan High School of Korea, 84-79, in Group D action at Kallang Tennis Hub in Singapore on Friday.

The competition is the NBA’s first regional high-school tournament. It featured boys’ and girls’ teams from 11 countries across Asia-Pacific.

Yongsan High School went on to win the tournament in the boys’ side while Kyoto Seika Gakuen Senior High School of Japan ruled the girls’ side.

Even with the Philippine representative failing to reach the semifinals, Shaun Lucido commended his squad for following coach Kevin De Castro’s orders until the final buzzer.

“Our coach always tells us that unless the buzzer sounds, we shouldn’t stop playing our game. We should keep playing hard, and keep showing our heart and spirit no matter what,” said Lucido, who also made a name for himself in this year’s NBTC National Finals.

“That’s why we didn’t give up throughout, even though we were behind at times,” he added.

NUNS went down, 65-48, heading into the final frame after a show of dominance from the Korean squad.

But Lucido and the Bullpups turned it all around in the payoff period, though their efforts were just not enough to push them past the round robin stage.

Lucido finished with 22 points for the Filipinos but to no avail.

Edi, Yongsan’s team captain, tipped his hat to the Bullpups who gave them a run for their money.

“The team from the Philippines played really well and hard and their dribbling skills are amazing,” Edi said. “We looked at their strengths and put it in our game as well.”