At the start of the NCAA Season 102 Men’s Basketball Tournament, Lawrence Mangubat made one thing clear: he and fellow former Mapua Cardinal Chris Hubilla wanted to be in charge of the JRU Heavy Bombers. After all, they already had championship experience from their time at Mapua.
“Para naman sa amin ni Chris, gusto lang namin maging leader sa team and madala yung championship experience dito sa JRU,” Mangubat said after the Heavy Bombers beat the Cardinals to open the season.
JRU has since raced out to a 9-3 record and the top seed in Group A. And, true to his word, Mangubat has been leading the way alongside Hubilla. So far this season, Mangubat has been averaging 16.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.4 steals while playing in 11 of the Heavy Bombers’ 12 games. Hubilla, on the other hand, was putting up 12.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists through nine games before being sidelined by a partial MCL tear.
Mangubat Ready for Added Responsibility
With Hubilla still on the shelf, Mangubat is now expected to shoulder a heavier burden, both in terms of production on the court and leadership of the Heavy Bombers. And he will have to do it with a still-bum shoulder.
Not that the steady guard is fazed by it all. On the contrary, he is more than ready for the challenge.
“Ready naman na ako sa ganung responsibilities,” Mangubat said after JRU repeated over Mapua on Tuesday. “Ginagawa ko naman sa ensayo lahat. Sobrang competitive ko talaga sa ensayo, sa scrimmages namin. May physicality talaga, para masanay ’yung mga kasama ko. Preparation ko ’yun para sa game, napu-push din ako talaga sa limit.”
That showed in JRU’s 71-58 win over the Cardinals on Tuesday, as Mangubat tallied 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals while showing who was in charge all game long.
Where He Goes, JRU Follows
Beyond production, Mangubat is also taking a more active role in guiding the young Heavy Bombers. In particular, the one-time champ is preaching composure and teamwork.
“Kinakausap ko sila to remain composed, with the guidance of the coaches, na kailangan naming maging isa. So, give and take lang,” he said.
This crucial role isn’t lost on JRU coach Nani Epondulan, who boldly declared that the Heavy Bombers will only go as far as his prized guard takes them.
“When we talk about JRU, we talk about Lawrence Mangubat and Chris Hubilla. Since Hubilla got hurt, ’yung burden talaga ng leadership, ’yung offense at defense, napunta talaga kay Lawrence,” Epondulan said. “So, kung saan pupunta si Lawrence, most likely doon pupunta ang team namin.”
From the looks of it, Mangubat is ready to take the Heavy Bombers to greater heights this season.
