SHE finished her University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) career sans a championship to show for but Far Eastern University (FEU) star Bernadeth Pons said her collegiate journey was worthwhile and that she is leaving it a winner.
Ended her stay with FEU after they finished runner-up to the De La Salle Lady Spikers in the recently concluded UAAP Season 80 finals, Pons said she is looking back at her UAAP career with fondness and very proud of what she and her teammates had done during their run.
“I’m happy with how my UAAP career went. We did not win the title but at least on my final year we were able to reach the finals. I’m proud of my teammates. We fought hard till the very end. Hopefully this will serve as a stepping stone for the holdovers for next season to bounce back,” said Pons at her valedictory postgame press conference on May 2.
Pons, 21, was a key component for much of her stay in Morayta as her Lady Tamaraws team was a steady fixture in the Final Four of the UAAP.
In Season 80, Pons was on top of her game, leading FEU in points with nearly 16 points a game, fourth in the league, and in the top 10 in the UAAP in spikes, digs and receives.
She led the Lady Tamaraws to the finals after years of semifinal heartaches and she did so with solid performances in the windup of the elimination round, that had her winning player of the week honors, and in semifinals where they beat longtime tormentors Ateneo Lady Eagles.
In the finals though, they came face-to-face with a highly determined La Salle crew that in the end just had more to give en route to winning another UAAP three-peat.
But more than what she did on the court, Pons said she is also proud of what she had done off it, something she hopes her fellow student-athletes would take cue from.
“I think we set a good example to our teammates. Not only in playing but also in academics. We finished our studies on time while at the same time performed well on the court. I hope in such a way we were able to inspire them,” said Pons, who met members of media along with fellow graduating player Kyla Atienza and coach George Pascua.
NOT UNNOTICED
And the way she conducted throughout her career was certainly not left unnoticed.
“I’m proud to have been a teammate of Pons. She’s a true leader inside and out of the court,” said libero Atienza, who also played beach volleyball with the FEU star.
“Bernadeth is a true leader. Her mentality is ‘no one is to be left behind.’ So she really makes it a point to involve everyone. That is who she is,” Mr. Pascua, for his part, said.
Now done as a collegiate player, Pons said she is still weighing her options but made it known she is willing to help the Lady Tamaraws in whatever way she can.
It remains to be seen if it will be as part of Mr. Pascua’s coaching staff as she is yet to commit to it but the FEU coach expressed his desire to have Pons be part of his group.
“We will try to get her services. Her leadership and motivation skills will be important especially after what happened to us this year with our runner-up finish. Our goal is to win the championship and we want them (along with Atienza) to be part of it,” Mr. Pascua said. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
