THE NATIONAL University Bulldogs can be the UAAP champion this year.

The fearless prediction comes from rookie coach Eric Gonzales. ?The boys have the potential and the skills to get the championship,? he says. ?If they can?t get it now, they will get it within the next four years.?

If the Bulldogs manage to clinch a title in the next four years, it will be the first time they?d be able to do so since 1954. The team already made history twice this season.

First, they won their first back to back games against the DLSU Green Archers (They eliminated the team from the final four last year.) It would only be the fourth time that the team has been able to do that since the Archers joined the league.

Second, the Bulldogs were able to beat the UE Red Warriors for the first time since 2002. They also nearly knocked down the top seeded FEU Tamaraws.

But the former UST track and fielder and Tiger Cubs assistant coach wants more from the team. ?I know they can do more. I know they can give more. They just need to develop the experience, change their attitude and start believing,? says Gonzales, who boosts the team?s confidence through teambuilding, sessions with psychologists and Bible studies.

He is pinning his hopes on center Emmanuel Mbe whom he expects to become the heart and soul of the team. ?I already see him taking the leadership role in the future. When he asks me to give the ball to him, I tell him that the ball is really for him,? says the coach.

What he wants, Gonzales says, is for Mbe to avoid getting too fancy with his shots and moves and just do what?s needed for the team to win.

And if the Bulldog team?s current performance is any indication, Gonzales? words aren?t just empty threats; they are a promise. Ruth Navarra