UP Fighting Maroons’ JD Cagulangan and Reyland Torres during a UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball game against FEU Tamaraws. –MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—The University of the Philippines’ community recently lost a member of the Fighting Maroons and JD Cagulangan kept that in mind heading to their match against Far Eastern University.

Cagulangan played his heart out on Saturday to push UP past the Tamaraws, 86-78, just days after the passing of former Maroons coach Ricky Dandan.

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“Coach Ricky, para sa’yo po ’to (Coach Ricky, this is for you.),” said Cagulangan during the post-game presser.

READ: Ricky Dandan, former UP coach, passes away at 61

“I didn’t know what to feel [when I heard the news,] when I saw my phone’s notification, I thought about how kind of a person he was for me so I offered this game to him.”

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INQUIRER FILE– Former UP Fighting Maroons coach Ricky Dandan.

Cagulangan played splendidly on both ends of the floor in the UP win with 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists and four steals for good measure, pushing the Fighting Maroons to a 10-3 card.

Cagulangan’s stellar outing also helped UP give the boot to the Tamaraws as they ended the season with a 5-9 record.

READ: UAAP: JD Cagulangan makes immediate impact in UP return

The Season 86 finalists’ floor general shared tidbits of his relationship with Dandan, saying he made an impression on Cagulangan during the times they had crossed paths.

“I crossed paths with coach Ricky, I think in early 2020 but I met his brother who also coached before in LSGH (La Salle-Greenhills) and when I heard the news, I was shocked,” Cagulangan said.

UP hopes it doesn’t run out of motivation next week when the Fighting Maroons face the University of the East on Wednesday at the same venue.