MANILA, Philippines -- Despite the finals defeat, outgoing Mapua captain Warren Bonifacio said that the future of the Cardinals is bright.
Bonifacio, who was taken in the recent 2023 PBA Draft by the Magnolia Hotshots, said the future of the team is bright.
"The potential of the team is big. They will have recruits that will be added. I told them in the dugout that they have to use what happened now as motivation," the forward told reporters in Filipino.
"I told them, 'You look at how happy they are.' This should be a motivation for them, that we are not able to take the championship home, so that means we are lacking a number of things," he added.
Mapua will be losing Bonifacio and Jopet Soriano for NCAA Season 100.
The core, however, will still be intact, with Rookie-Most Valuable Player Clint Escamis, Paolo Hernandez, JC Recto and Peter Rosillo.
"You have to bring that motivation [next year,] with Clint Escamis and the others who will be left behind. The future is bright for Mapua," he added.
In his final collegiate game, Bonifacio had a forgettable outing, finishing with four points, hauling down seven rebounds and dishing out three assists.
He fouled out with 1:34 remaining in the game, with Mapua trailing 73-66.
"I just told [my teammates] to keep on playing hard. Just give your best until the end," Bonifacio said.
Escamis, for his part, said he is bent on using the finals loss as fuel for next season.
"I told them during my speech to use this as motivation, especially those who were left here. Starting next year, in January, go back to work and go back to the grind," he told reporters.
"I told them to not look down. Look at San Beda when they are cutting the net. Use that as fuel for next season."