That was when Manny Dandan joined the coaching staff and recruited wide-eyed rookies and put the Bulldogs into the thick of things in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines seniors basketball tournament armed with nothing but pure guts and the desire to prove a point.
"These guys were not your usual superstars when they came in. But they were role players who worked hard every day to get where they are now," said Dandan, a former UP Maroon who offered to help NU four years ago just after the school suffered the defections of Danny Ildefonso and Lordy Tugade to the big leagues.
Left with no other choice, Dandan and the entire NU staff rebuilt the team. And honed close to perfection for four years, the players stand on the verge of one final push.
"Ito na yung last chance namin to make a statement. We really want to make the most out of it. Next year, the core will be graduating already and it will be time to rebuild again. So ito na yung huling push para sa batch na ito," explained Dandan.
Jeff Napa, Alfie Grijaldo, Archen Cayabyab, Chico Manabat, Gilbert Neo and Ariel de Castro will form the core of the Bulldogs, who Dandan added could have as many as four rookies this season.
And Dandan believes his team now has what it takes to contend against top teams.
"We’ve matured coming from last year. We’re more cohesive. Nakabuti sa amin yung participation namin in national tournaments and we even won an intercollegiate title," said Dandan.
This year’s Bulldogs will be the run-and-gun type that will rely on speed and quickness against their opponents. Napa is a pure shooter who can rain perimeter jump shots if he is given the open look while guys like Cayabyab can slash to the paint when needed to and also score in transition.
"We’re going to run a lot. We like to score off the break and put ourselves in a situation to score quick baskets," said Dandan, who hopes the transition game will offset NU’s lack of big men, a problem the Bulldogs suffered since losing Ildefonso and Cris Bolado to the pros.
"We’re going to have problems with our defense and rebounding kasi we lack the size to match up against the big schools. But we’ve made plans to counter that," said the NU mentor.
Ildefonso, Bolado and Tugade gave their alma mater a big boost when they started joining the NU practices once a week.
"They find time to help the school. Once a week, we are able to set a schedule for them to join and that’s a big help kasi nga during scrimmages we are able to simulate playing against big men like Danny Ildefonso and Cris Bolado," Dandan said.
Like most of the other coaches, the NU coach picks La Salle, Ateneo, FEU and UST as the heavyweights in the season’s contest. But while the Bulldogs respect the big four, they are not longer in awe of them. After al, NU has evolved from being the league’s perennial doormat to a team that can pull off surprises every now and then against the top schools in the country.
In last year’s tourney, NU was just one game away from the No. 4 spot in the team standings a little past midway through the eliminations. But after a 77-72 win over UE to up its slate to 4-5; the Bulldogs would end their season with a 5-game losing streak and a next-to-last finish, something Dandan is confident his team is going to improve on this time around.