Now in his senior year, Gboy De Vega is treating UAAP Season 88 as a stage to show he can be a selfless team leader, as the Golden Spikers look to reach greater heights.
With rookies Jon Criz Ayco, Kris Hernandez, Sam Panganiban and Rain Dela Paz stepping into the collegiate level, De Vega said he was ready to embrace a big-brother role, particularly in high-pressure UAAP situations.
“Gusto ko maka-contribute in different aspects, especially sa rookies,” De Vega told the Varsitarian. “Hindi lang sa loob ng court, ganoon din sa labas.”
After spending most of his high school years at FEU, De Vega joined the Junior Golden Spikers in Season 82 before making his senior team debut in Season 85.
In his three years with the Golden Spikers, De Vega was part of two silver-medal finishes and last season’s bronze-medal run.
The Junior Golden Spikers captured the Season 87 championship before settling for a fourth-place finish this year.
Drawing from his experience, De Vega hopes to pass on valuable lessons to the squad’s younger players, not only to strengthen the team’s Season 88 campaign but also to lay a foundation for the future.
“Quality ’yong sistema namin so pinagtuunan lang namin ang ’yong pagbibigay kumpyansa sa mga bata nang sa gano’n ’di sila mahirapan makibagay sa laro namin,” De Vega said.
De Vega showed a significant scoring jump in UST’s offseason leagues, highlighted by his the V-League Best Outside Hitter award.
Still, consistency is still a work in progress, he admits, though he believes those issues will resolve once UAAP play gets underway.
“Gamitin man ako or hindi, I will make sure na mayroong contribution. Once na nasa loob ako, I will play my best,” he said.
The Golden Spikers will open their Season 88 campaign against the NU Bulldogs on Sunday, Feb. 15, at the Mall of Asia Arena. R.H Marbella
