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| The NU Bulldogs' "Wall of Jericho" has now been broken down according to Coach Eric Altamirano. Ivan Saldajeno |
By Ivan Saldajeno
Coach Eric Altamirano thought that the NU Bulldogs have completely staved off the heartbreaks of last year's Final Four loss after doing the exact opposite this year.
The Bulldogs, the top-seeds last year, lost a twice-to-beat advantage and eventually bowed down to the fourth-seeded UST Growling Tigers, the first time this kind of upset happened.
This time around, the fourth-seeded Bulldogs knocked off the Ateneo Blue Eagles, the top seeds.
"What happened to us last year was really to build our character.... yung nangyari na yun made us tougher. Sinabi na nila sa kanila[ng sarili] na hindi na mauulit yun," Altamirano relayed their learned lessons.
"We were able to redeem ourselves," he added. "I thank God for giving us another opportunity."
Altamirano hopes that the momentum will carry on even if he steps down as head coach.
"I hope it continues with the National University team whether I'm the coach or not. I hope [what happened last year] doesn't happen to us again," he said.
He summarized the win over Ateneo with a Bible verse in the book of Joshua.
"We were able to break down the wall--our Jericho," Coach Eric, a devout Christian, cited.
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