Letran Knights star Fran Yu recalls cyber-bullying incident in pre-NCAA days
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The explosive point guard proved his detractors wrong by leading Letran to the championship and bagging the Finals MVP in Season 95 of the NCAA.
It's a story worth retelling many times because of its inspiring lessons of faith and resiliency.
Back in 2015, collegiate basketball player Fran Yu was bullied on social media.
“At saang kanto naman napulot ng UE ang player nilang itez?” a netizen commented on a photo of Fran - all tanned and skinny - while chasing Matt Nieto of the Ateneo Blue Eagles on the hardcourt.
“Namamasada 'yan, nag-break lang,” someone commented disparagingly on the photo.
The nasty meme left the court general feeling down and humiliated.
“Kasi fresh from Palarong Pambansa po kami nun. E, 'pag Palarong Pambansa po naglalaro kami sa tirik na araw. Naglaro po ako nun kalaban namin Ateneo. May nakuha pong picture na sobrang itim ko po,” recalled Fran, who is now a vital piece for the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Knights in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
Disheartened, Fran bolted out of UE to study and play for Trail International School in Bangkok, Thailand.
The change of scenery did Fran a lot of good and he played well alongside young Thai and other foreign players.
A rejuvenated Fran returned to the Philippines to play for Letran in need of another offensive weapon to keep up with the league's top tier team.
Letran's faith in the 5-foot-10 point guard would be rewarded as Fran helped the team reach the Finals in Season 95 in 2019.
The Knights would pull off an upset against the undefeated San Beda University Red Lions in a thrilling best-of-three series to win the championship.
To top it all off, Fran was named Finals MVP after averaging 13.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in the series.
Fran would say in later interviews that the cyber-bullying incident, as painful as it was, became his primary motivation to bounce back and work harder on his game.
Today, Fran is focused on helping Letran defend the championship and prove that their win in 2019 was no fluke.
Catch Fran Yu and the rest of the Letran Knights in action in Season 96 of the NCAA airing soon on GMA News TV and other Kapuso platforms including GMA Pinoy TV for audiences living abroad.
