The Grit of the Team Captains for Podium’s Redemption
by Jannes Magayon and Stephen Castañeda
Due to the sport’s distinguished limelight, the tragedies of basketball were scars that ache beyond the corners of the court – especially for dribblers who held leadership hats that marked both their surnames and numerical legacy.
Valor and teamwork was a synergy that supplemented the Men’s Basketball Team of Bulacan State University’s (BulSU) years of domination, making them sit on the echelons of feared rivalry in and out of the State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SCUAA) competitions. These, however, had been replaced with the challenges of improvement and resiliency as they now gear themselves towards a golden comeback.
Humbling shots and defining moments
The 23-year-old point guard Christian L. Cruz, Kap Chano as fondly called, is a daunting force on BulSU’s roster of basketball players. He is a second-year Fitness and Sports Management student from the College of Sports, Exercise, and Recreation (CSER).
Since 6th Grade, he had the sport at the end of his fingertips; his affection for basketball grew as he advanced in years. He then tested his odds in 2018 when he trained for the university’s basketball team—fast-breaking his spot in the varsity.
Not long after his seniors chose him to lead their array of athletes for the 2023 SCUAA games because of his authoritative nature, practiced within rightful borders. The team’s Head Coach, Antonino Tayao, also recognized Kap Chano’s dedication since his rookie years and remarked, “Pagdating naman sa pagiging captain ball niya, pinu-push niya rin naman ‘yung mga teammates niya para mag-doble training.”
The competition, however, ended in crestfallen junctures as the winning ball slipped from their palms. This made Kap Chano the receiving end of his former teammates’ well-placed jeers.
Although with tints of grief, he remained firm when asked what legacy he had left: that he will be remembered—from the long list of leaders—not by their humbling year of missing the SCUAA’s shot, but by his transformative authority and resolute discipline that defined their teams’ persevering moments.
Hope under pressure in new captain’s fingertips
Leadership sounded powerful but equally burdensome for the next-in-line team captain, Guian Franco Lorzano.
There has always been a connection between him and the sport he loved, but the onus of leading the team after the harrowing defeat last SCUAA served as a stumbling block for their long-awaited vengeance against the league’s podium.
As the court played his second haven, the 23-year-old and fourth-year CSER student, Lorzano was already a talented player even at a young age. He started exposing himself to the world of invitational leagues that led him to efficiently embrace the shifts and turns of differing environments and their people.
However, the past kept haunting Lorzano’s fresh start as he owned the heavier shoulders of being the team’s new captain. As he was introduced to the new breed of shooters, he successfully imprinted the unedifying weight of nobility and the pressure of restoring their name’s glory.
“Mas naging hungry din sila [teammates] na gusto talaga nila bumawi at nakikita ko naman talaga. ‘Yung iba ‘go hard’ talaga parang s’yempre tayo may gusto rin tayong patunayan sa sarili natin lalo na sa school, ‘yon ‘yung importante,” Lorzano echoed with confidence how his team grasped their new challenge.
The transition from being a mere player into the shoes of a captain added a newfound demand for Lorzano’s supervision. The staple of his leadership is bound by discipline: from their body, mindset inside the court, prioritizing time management and strenuous training—these adjustments were made to regain their name in the basketball scene.
Explaining that playing basketball should be rooted in one’s dedication and passion, Coach Tayao relayed his trust in his current captain ball and how Lorzano persevered on working their team’s finger to the bone—helping to shape his rookie teammates for their long-awaited SCUAA’s finals appearance once more.
Despite the failure to qualify for a top 4 spot, the BulSU Gold Gear Men’s Basketball team was eager to see a bigger picture of themselves in the next SCUAA—making this tainted history the primary drive of reclaiming their throne in the region’s biggest stage.
Bewildered by their ceaseless drive to fetch the lost shot, these two team captains work hand-in-hand in shaping the entire team into growling ballers with eyes fixed on the elevated platform.
Their joint tale was a tapestry of hope that would weave their defeats and failed aspirations into an epoch of meaningful stories of comebacks.
Jannes Magayon is a freshman staff writer of Pacesetter. She is a first-year journalism student from the College of Arts and Letters.
Stephen Castañeda is a senior staff writer of Pacesetter. He is a fourth-year accounting information system student from the College of Business Administration.
