EXPECT the College of Saint Benilde Blazers to spew more fire come Season 99 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association seniors basketball tournament that opens shop in September.
And expect Will Gozum to pull off another Most Valuable Player performance for the Blazers, who almost won the crown in Season 98.
“I found out what my weaknesses are and those things that I need to improve on,” the 6-foot-6 Gozum told BusinessMirror Sunday. “I believe we will get there soon.”
The Blazers lost to the Letran Knights in the Season 98 Finals that went the full distance of three games.
Gozum said that he and his teammates have matured from that setback.
“The experience that we gained is one of a kind and for sure we learned a lot from it,” he said.
The Blazers turned from cellar-dweller to title contender under head coach Charles Tiu,
“We’re very happy little by little our school is now being recognized and we are starting to build a winning culture,” he said. “The sacrifices are all worth it. We just have to stick to our roles and not be selfish.”
“We know we have each other’s back,” said Gozum, whose sharpening even more in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League with the Quezon Huskers through a special guest license from the Games and Amusements Board.
Despite missing the crown, Gozum, 23, emerged as the season MVP with his averages of 16.8 points and 9.7 rebounds.
“I’m happy.… who would have thought that I could get it [MVP]? All of my hard work during the pandemic and off season paid off,” he said. “The trust of my teammates was also there, I would not have gotten that without them.”
