Not a lot of aspiring young hoopers get a taste of championship gold early in their careers, and fewer have done it while leading the way for their teams towards that goal.
For Colegio de San Juan de Letran shooting guard Justin Cargo however, he made the transformation into one of his team’s main protagonists as the Squires claimed another NCAA juniors basketball title, the program’s third in a span of four years.
But before success came knocking, the 19-year-old Cargo confessed that he was almost out of the door before it could ever arrive.
“Parang gusto ko na pong umuwi noon,” Cargo told GMA News Online.
“Marami akong iniisip, tapos hindi ko malabas yung laro ko na gusto kong ipalabas. Nagpaalam na talaga ako sa head coach ko noong unang laban namin sa Emilio Aguinaldo College [EAC] na gusto ko nang umuwi,” he added.
(I already kind of wanted to go back home then. I had a lot on my mind, and I struggled to show the level of play that I really wanted to show. I was asking permission from my head coach during our first game against EAC, that I wanted to go home.)
Despite his early season woes, the young cager heartily recounted that his fellow teammates and then new Squires tactician Andrew Estrella lifted him up and gave the support he needed to carry on.
“Sila yung nagsabi sa akin na lumaban lang. Sabi nila, ‘ganun talaga buhay, kailangan harapin at labanan mo lang.’ Kaya sobrang nagpapasalamat po ako sa head coach at sa mga teammates ko.”
(They’re the ones who told me to just keep fighting. They said, life is like that. You have to face challenges and fight through it. That’s why I’m so thankful to my head coach and teammates.)
Staying true to the advice they imparted on him, the Squires toughed it out through the elimination rounds of Season 101, finishing with a 7-6 win-loss record and nabbing a twice-to-beat advantage heading into the quarterfinals.
Individually, Cargo averaged 9.2 points and a team-high 6.0 rebounds along with 2.4 assists, and 1.5 steals.
After overcoming University of Perpetual Help System DALTA in the quarters, to then defeating top-seeded EAC in a challenging best-of-three semifinals series, Cargo and the rest of Letran marched on towards the finals wherein they faced Arellano University.
Looking to reclaim its place atop of the NCAA Juniors Basketball mountain, Letran found its final push in Cargo, who produced a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds with five assists in the 91-88 title game win.
From almost heading home to being one of the big reasons why his team brought the title home, the six-foot guard’s journey culminated in winning Finals Most Valuable Player honors.
“Talagang sinipagan ko lang talaga eh. Kung ano yung depensa, talaga yun yung [ginawa] ko sa team. Hindi ko akalain na ako pala yung magiging Finals MVP.”
(I really just worked hard. Whatever the defense asked for, that’s what I did for the team. I never thought I would be the Finals MVP.)
Now just waiting for graduation while also recently getting ranked as the sixteenth-best performing high school player in the 2026 National Basketball Training Center Top 24 list, Cargo asserted that he will continue to persevere while also keeping his dreams big.
“Hindi ko in-expect,” said Cargo just before playing in the 2026 NBTC All-Star Game.
“Sobrang saya po kasi dati parang pangarap ko lang makaabot sa ganito, tapos ngayon nandito na. Iba talaga yung plano ni God para sa akin,” he added.
“Nakuha ko na yung championship na pinangarap ko dati… Maraming pagsubok na dumaan, pero, patuloy pa rin para sa pangarap.”
(I didn’t expect it. I’m so happy because it was my dream to reach these levels. And now, it’s here. God’s plan for me is something else. I was able to win the championship I only dreamed of before… There are a lot of challenges, but I’ll keep on going for my dreams.)
—JMB, GMA News
