NCAA: Will Gozum motivated by coach’s ‘we suck, overrated’ tweet

MANILA, Philippines – Reigning MVP Will Gozum said it was tough to see College of St. Benilde suffer a heartbreaking opening loss to Lyceum when he could have made a big difference if he had been available for his team.

Gozum was not there for the Blazers in their 85-81 setback after serving a one-game suspension following his ejection in Game 3 of last year’s finals.

“I didn’t watch because I was suspended and I couldn’t be in the room. It was also sad because there was no live and the game was not broadcast, so I asked for updates from alumni,” Gozum said.

“When I found out we lost it was hard because it was our first game so our morale dropped, but we got back together quickly after that.”

Gozum also found a tweet from his coach Charles Tiu after the loss, which read: “We are bad. So overrated,” which served as extra motivation for the great man.

“For me it’s just motivation. It’s nothing personal, so we’ll just prove everyone wrong and show that we can compete,” Gozum said.

That’s exactly what happened Friday as Gozum showed his MVP form with 18 points and 11 rebounds in his return to push Benilde past Jose Rizal University in overtime, 93-85, in a gritty encounter.

Gozum and the Blazers try to take a streak against San Beda on Sunday.