Last among his buddies, Nonoy finally has a championship
Among the four close teammates from their days at University of Santo Tomas (UST), Mark Nonoy was the only one who hadn’t won a college championship.Rhenz Abando and Brent Paraiso got their titles with Letran.
CJ Cansino won his with University of the Philippines (UP).
Nonoy joined the club on late Wednesday night.
“I was the only one left without a championship,” the soft-spoken guard said in Filipino after La Salle beat UP, 73-69, in Game 3 of their UAAP men’s basketball championship duel to bag the title in front of a record-breaking 25,192 crowd at Smart Araneta Coliseum. “That’s also where I pulled motivation to prove that I can also become a champion.”
Nonoy was a key piece for La Salle’s title run and he had to set aside his friendship with Cansino to help the Archers win their first title in seven years.“We’re (Nonoy and Cansino) still good friends off the court. But in the Finals I told him that we need to set aside our friendship first,” Nonoy said.
Nonoy, Cansino, Abando and Paraiso were part of the promising Tigers’ core that finished second to Ateneo in 2019. Instead of fulfilling their championship aspirations at UST, that team was blown up after a controversial camp held in Sorsogon despite strict health protocols then because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our team way back in Season 82 was such a waste, I also used that as my motivation when I transferred to La Salle. I overcame a lot of struggles with the pandemic and all. This (pointing to La Salle’s championship shirt he is wearing) is worth it,” added Nonoy who will leave the Taft-based squad with another graduating guard Evan Nelle.
Nonoy and Nelle’s last dance was the first year of Topex Robinson who did not have to wait a long time for a first UAAP titles.
With Robinson at the helm of its program, the Green Archers brought home their tenth men’s basketball championship.
And Nonoy had nothing but praise for his new mentor, who trusted them as soon as he assumed the new post.
“[Robinson] gave Evan and I, who are the seniors, a big responsibility. He gave us a role to lead the team because he also respects us as we have been with the team longer, that’s what he was saying when he first came to the team,” Nonoy said.
“We just showed him that we can also lead the team and pay back the trust that he gave us.” INQ
