For Fran Yu, Titan Ultra’s long-awaited breakthrough victory meant far more than ending a losing streak.
Moments after helping the Giant Risers score a stunning 103-87 upset of defending champion TNT in the PBA Season 50 Governors’ Cup on Wednesday, the veteran guard made it clear who the win was really for.
“Thank you, tol, binigay mo yung panalo sa amin,” he said with a smile after Titan Ultra finally entered the win column.
“Para sa kanya itong game na ito.”
The heartfelt message was for former Batang Gilas guard and NCAA champion JV Gallego, Yu’s childhood best friend who tragically passed away in a vehicular accident along the NLEX early Saturday morning. He was 28.
While the victory gave Titan Ultra something to celebrate, it also became a deeply emotional night for Yu, who has spent the past week grieving someone who had been part of nearly every step of his basketball journey.
Long before either reached the collegiate or professional ranks, Yu and Gallego were teammates at Chiang Kai Shek College, where they formed one of the school’s most dependable backcourts from grade school through high school.
“One-two punch talaga kami nun sa Chiang Kai from grade school to high school,” Yu recalled. “Lagi lang akong under his wings kasi ako yung point guard, siya yung scorer sa team namin.”
Their careers eventually took different paths.
Gallego first suited up for National University before transferring to San Beda, while Yu continued his development at the University of the East before moving to Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
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Even as opponents, their friendship never changed.
“Nagkalaban na kami,” he said. “Masaya lang balikan lahat ng memories na magkasama kami tsaka nung magkalaban na kami.”
Fate, however, gave them one final chance to reconnect.
Yu revealed they had reunited on Friday night—just hours before Gallego’s fatal accident. He never imagined it would be the last time they would see each other.
“Ang daming tumawag sa akin nung umaga. Nung una, hindi ako makapaniwala,” Yu said, recalling the moment he learned of the heartbreaking news through mutual friends.
Since then, the Titan Ultra playmaker has made it a point to visit Gallego’s wake every evening, hoping to honor the friendship they had built over so many years.
“Every night, pumupunta ako kasi nga matagal kaming hindi nagkita,” he said. “Ano ba naman yung one week na magpunta ka sa wake niya para maalala mo lahat.”
Playing with a heavy heart, Yu contributed five points and orchestrated Titan Ultra’s offense with a game-high 11 assists as the Giant Risers snapped their three-game skid and secured their first victory of the conference.
To him, it wasn’t a coincidence.
Yu believes Gallego was watching over him all night, giving him the strength to play through the grief.
“Lagi kong pinagdadasal sa kanya na sana lagi niya akong gabayan sa game, gabayan niya yung family niya,” he said. “At saka binigyan niya ako ng lakas ngayon para maglaro.
“Mami-miss namin siya ng mga kaibigan namin.”
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