“Mas masaya ito. De hamak na mas masaya ito.”

(“This is happier. This is definitely much happier.”)

This is the exclamation of Nestor Sapida, perhaps the happiest man in the arena after National University’s (NU) 75-59 clinched the championship over Far Eastern University in Game 3 of the UAAP men’s basketball finals.

For starters, Sapida is no ordinary man. He is a legend. A living one.

Sapida, 78 years old and standing 6’0”, has recently surfaced as a living remnant of NU’s first champion team way back in 1954, which was 60 years ago.

IN PHOTOS: National University Bulldogs’ historic championship game

Back then, Sapida narrates, NU won the championship by only two points against neighboring FEU.

“This team is much better than our team. You see, we only won then by two points. Two points. This win by NU today, they really dominated,” Sapida said in Tagalog.

Sapida’s classmate was back then, Arlene Paguia-Royo, who is the long-time representative of NU to the UAAP board, shared Sapida’s glee.

“We were classmates then,” recalled the matriarch, a scion of the Paguia family who used to own NU. “I was cheering out loud when they won. And now, I’m still here, cheering out loud for my school. It is worth the long wait.”

Sapida, who was invited by Royo to watch the game, told Fullcourtfresh.com that he met the current NU players before the game.

“I told them that before, we were also underdogs. We were not a strong team then. But we won it because we were brave. So I told them, tapangan nyo. (Be brave),” he narrated.

RELATED: NU breaks 60-year spell, wins men’s basketball crown

Thanks to the Sys

Another NU legend, Danny Ildefonso, credited the Sy family for helping NU win the championship.

“This was because of Sy,” he told Fullcourtfresh.com. “It really changed the program. It is well coached and the players are given the best backing by the school management.”

The former PBA two-time MVP also saw future professional prospects among the current players of the Bulldogs.

“I’m sure about Gelo [Alolino] and Troy [Rosario]. Gelo is a very physical and intelligent point guard. Troy, he is tall yet he plays power forward. If he played in the ‘90s, he’ll be a center but now, he will fit the current style of basketball because he is a good match against the power forwards of the PBA,” he explained.

Ildefonso also commended NU’s balanced scoring all throughout the season.

“I thought they needed a go-to guy. But all of them can shoot well. It’s hard to defend a team if all five on the floor can score. And NU, they defend well because the other teams, they only have one or two scorers,” he added.

The past was a far cry

As for NU assistant coach Jeff Napa, NU is a different team than what it used to be in the past.

“Before, we were practicing only three times a week,” he said. “The facilities were old then, but now we are rewarded with good training facilities and good coaches. We now feel how it is to have great resources,” he explained.

The former NU deadshot and courtside reporter, the holder of the UAAP record of ten made three-point shots in a game, said that his batch shared a common character with the current batch.

“Even without much funding, we really played our hearts out that we made it to the Final Four [in 2001]. And now we have seen, our players right now played their hearts out even against bigger schools,” he said.

MORE ON NU’s CHAMPIONSHIP:

Team defense, collective spirit key to NU’s championship, says Coach Eric Altamirano

NU breaks 60-year spell, wins men’s basketball crown

 The Dream Finals will change Philippine basketball

IN PHOTOS: National University Bulldogs’ historic championship game