Former SWU cager Bautista takes talents to EAC in NCAA

FORMER Southwestern University forward Juju Bautista is hoping that his third time coming back to the country to play basketball will finally pan out as he now finds himself suiting up for the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals in the NCAA.

The 6-foot-2 rock steady forward played for the Cobras last season and quickly established himself as a steady all-around presence with averages of 14 points and 12 rebounds per game.

However, academic trouble hounded the Filipino-Samoan, which forced him to push the reset button on his collegiate career.

After spending several months back in his hometown of Chula Vista in San Diego, Bautista resurfaced at the Generals camp, where he will be reunited with best friends, Sidney Onwubere and Hamadou Laminou.

“I’m just going there to try and make a name for myself. This would be my third time going back to the Philippines. So hopefully, third time’s the charm,” said the do-it-all frontcourt banger who earned the nickname “Baby Rock” here in Cebu after his fellow Fil-Samoan and good friend, PBA veteran Asi “The Rock” Taulava.

Ironically, Bautista will be making a return to the school he first committed to during his first visit to the country. Unfortunately, he and then head coach Andy de Guzman did not see eye to eye, which eventually led to him flying back to California before returning to play for SWU.

Bautista divulged that he was also interested in suiting up for either Adamson or the reigning UAAP champions Far Eastern University, but those did not push through with the former having a tattoo policy and the latter already having too many players. In the end, he chose EAC because of his close ties to the aforementioned foreign players.

With this latest opportunity to showcase what he can do, Bautista has refocused and is raring to help the Generals make the upper echelon of the NCAA.