Reinhard Jumamoy’s audacity, work ethic give NU its go-to guy

GAME HERO. NU’s Reinhard Jumamoy comes through for the Bulldogs against the UST Growling Tigers in the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball tournament.

UAAP

In Reinhard Jumamoy, the NU Bulldogs have found the brazen leader they need

AT A GLANCE

• Reinhard Jumamoy hit a crucial three-pointer in the final seconds to secure a victory for NU against UST, finishing the game with 16 points.
• Despite struggling with his shooting earlier in the game, Jumamoy demonstrated confidence and leadership, taking the decisive shot when it mattered most.
• NU's win improved their record to 4-2, keeping them in the top three of the UAAP Season 89 men's basketball standings.

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MANILA, Philippines – NU was on the verge of blowing a 15-point lead against UST, and the Bulldogs needed someone to take charge.

Macmac Alfanta hit a fourth-quarter triple, Mo Diassana came through with lobs and putbacks inside, and Paul Francisco drained a crucial short stab in the final two minutes of overtime. But when the game came down to its final possession, it was Reinhard Jumamoy who delivered the decisive blow.

With NU down 84-85 with five seconds left, Jumamoy, fresh off getting blocked by UST big man Collins Akowe on the previous possession, launched a contested triple that banked in to lift the Bulldogs to an 87-85 victory.

  

For Jumamoy, the game-winner was proof of his audacity and self-belief, trusting his work ethic to deliver despite taking a contested three-pointer with NU down by just one.

“I just told myself that I was going to take the shot. I practice that, after all. Coach always tells me that I have a lot of kapal ng mukha (brazenness), so I just took charge,” Jumamoy said in Filipino after the game.

“I guess when I went for the layup against Collins, I remembered what happened to us last year when I turned the ball over. So I told myself I had to take charge and lead my teammates,” he added.

Jumamoy finished with a team-high 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, shooting 7-of-16 from the field and 4-of-13 from beyond the arc.

The game-winner was especially gutsy considering he had missed his previous five three-point attempts. But the misses did little to take away his confidence when NU needed him most.

“I have nothing to say, really. I just told myself I was going to take the shot because I practice that,” Jumamoy said. “Win or lose. By God’s grace, my shot went in.”

The victory improved NU’s record to 4-2, keeping the Bulldogs in the top three of the UAAP Season 89 men’s basketball standings.

Francisco, who made the pass to Jumamoy in the final play, had no hesitation trusting Jumamoy with the game on the line, especially after his point guard told him he wanted the ball before the inbound play.

“Before the inbound play, Reinhard came up to me and said, ‘If nothing’s there, just give it to me.’ So I trusted my point guard. There weren’t any other options because UST played good denial defense on our play. I saw Reinhard, so I trusted him with the pass,” Francisco said.

NU head coach Jeff Napa, who has mentored Jumamoy since his days with the NU-Nazareth School high school program, knew his starting guard had the confidence to take and make a shot of that magnitude.

Napa believed Jumamoy was the player most willing to shoulder the responsibility even with the outcome hanging in the balance.

“I’ll give Reinhard credit for the game-winner. That was his shot to take. Win or lose, he took it and made it, and things went our way,” Napa said in Filipino.

“But under pressure, that’s when you really test a player’s character and see how willing they are to push themselves. Despite what happened in the third and fourth quarters, when we became too complacent, at least we got to see that character,” Napa said.

The Bulldogs will end the first round against league-leading FEU Tamaraws next Sunday, October 18, at the Blue Eagle Gym. – Rappler.com