The NU Lady Bulldogs have dominated college basketball unlike any other. But to be great, their support system needed to be great as well.
Seven straight UAAP Women's Basketball titles.
With that milestone, the National University Lady Bulldogs tied the University of the East Red Warriors for having the longest championship streak in the UAAP—with the latter accomplishing the feat way back, from 1965 to 1971. Of course, this amazing achievement can be attributed to the hard work and impeccable play of the Lady Bulldogs. But that’s not all.
There’s a bigger driving force behind all this—a winning formula that allows these young women to be the best players they can be. In an interview with Mikka Cacho right after her team’s historic Finals sweep of the De La Salle University Lady Archers, the NU star alluded to what makes the National University Women’s Basketball program the best in the country.
“Unang-una sa lahat, sa management. Sobrang dami nilang tulong sa’min. Sobrang lahat ng suporta binibigay nila kaya sobrang gaan ng pakiramdam namin. Laro lang kung laro lang.”, Cacho said.
Mikka’s thank you message is worth a thousand words. But to sum it up, she’s actually referring to a dream scenario for student-athletes, wherein they can fully focus on training without worrying about anything else but their studies. As it appears, Finals MVP Kristine Cayabyab, Camille Clarin, Angel Surada and the rest of the Lady Bulldogs have been sharpening their skills under the best conditions possible. And the results are undeniable.
Now that we know what NU's “secret formula” for success is, it’s high time for the others to follow suit. Because why not? The Lady Bulldogs as Exhibit A show that given the right tools and platform, female hoopers can go places where only a select few have gone before. They deserve to be supported all the way just like any other elite athlete. After all, Filipinos love hoops and the last time we checked, women’s basketball is basketball.