Why Palacielo Delayed Going Pro for Unfinished Business with NU

For a while, PJ Palacielo genuinely thought he was leaving.

The thought had already been there for a while. And honestly, from the outside, it probably would have made sense too.

His batchmates were moving on. Professional opportunities were starting to appear. And after years of competing for the NU Bulldogs, the timing felt natural.

By then, Palacielo had already gone through almost every stage of the NU basketball ladder. He was a Bullpup first, a big man from Tanay, Rizal who was once part of the Gilas Youth pool before even getting a full chance to show himself in UAAP juniors.

When he committed to the Bulldogs in 2021, NU was also rebuilding then, trying to hold on to pieces from its Nazareth pipeline after several blue-chip names had moved elsewhere. In a way, Palacielo’s college story started in transition too.

“Syempre, di na mawawala sa isip ko yun kasi nung last season pa lang iniisip ko na yun. Kasabayan ko sila Steve Nash Enriquez, sila Jake Figueroa, which is yung mga kabatch ko talaga. Parang nasa isip ko na sumabay na lang din ako pag-alis para makapag-pro na rin ako.”

And the thing is, Palacielo wasn’t leaving because he was tired of NU. If anything, it was the opposite. Sometimes, athletes leave simply because they feel ready.

“Kasi feel ko naman ready naman na ako ngayon. Meron nang mga offers.”

There was a basis for him to feel that way. Palacielo was no longer just the young big NU once hoped would grow into the college game. He had already become one of the Bulldogs’ steadier frontcourt pieces. In Season 87, after NU lost bodies up front, he was thrust into a starting center role and averaged 8.14 points and 6.07 rebounds in 21 minutes. The year after, in Season 88, he played all 16 games and posted 7.63 points, 2.56 rebounds, and 1.63 assists per game, helping lead National U to the top spot in the league standings.

That’s usually how these stories go in college sports. One chapter ends, another one starts, and eventually players move forward toward the professional level. But somewhere between those opportunities and the reality of actually leaving, something kept bothering him.

There was no doubt about himself. It was the feeling that maybe his time with NU still wasn’t finished yet.

“Parang mas nangibabaw sa akin yung gusto ko pa ngayong season na tulungan ko pa yung team kasi feel ko may chance pa rin.”

That line probably explains everything. Because even with all the uncertainty surrounding NU entering a new season, Palacielo still saw possibilities in the group around him.

Even if, at first, he wasn’t completely sure what that possibility would look like.

“Pero may doubt pa rin ako na parang rebuilding, parang bigay ko na lang sa kanila.”

NU was entering transition. Familiar veterans were gone. New faces suddenly had to step into bigger roles. The word “rebuilding” started floating around the program almost immediately.

It wasn’t the first time Palacielo had heard that word attached to NU. When he joined the seniors program, the Bulldogs were still trying to rebuild their frontline. Now, years later, he was no longer the young piece being brought in to help stabilize the future. He had become part of the foundation others were supposed to lean on.

It was practice. Day after day, he started noticing the younger players slowly becoming more confident. The rookies stopped looking like rookies. The team started looking steadier. More mature. More connected.

“As time goes by naman, sa mga practices naman, nakikita ko naman na mas nagmamature yung mga teammates. Lalo na yung mga rookies. Ang dami namin rookies ngayon, mga bagong mukha.”

That’s probably one of the strange things about becoming one of the older players on a team. One day, you’re the younger athlete learning from everybody else. Then suddenly, you become the person younger players look toward for reassurance.

And Palacielo embraced that responsibility fully. Not just through performances. Not just through leadership during games. But, in the way he constantly reminded younger teammates to stop seeing themselves as “just rookies.”

“Sinasabi ko sa kanila na kailangan matibay lang loob nila. Walang rookie-rookie dito. Kumbaga pare-parehas lang tayong players pagpasok natin sa loob. Kailangan maging ready lang tayo lagi.”

There’s something very veteran-like about that mindset. Because once the game starts, nobody really cares who’s new anymore. The pressure feels the same for everyone inside the court.

Palacielo would know. Some of his most memorable NU moments came when he was asked to be ready without much warning.

Later, when his role grew, the moments grew with it. In Season 87, he had 16 points and eight rebounds in NU’s 63-54 upset of La Salle, ending the Bulldogs’ campaign on a high note and making NU the only team that season to beat both La Salle and UP.

And slowly, Palacielo started seeing those lessons show up during actual games too. By then, staying no longer felt like a gamble. It started feeling like the right decision.

“Ayun, lumabas naman. Evident naman sa nangyari ngayon. Masaya ako na maganda yung naging decision ko na mag-stay ngayon kahit paano.”

Part of it came from realizing he still had unfinished work within himself, too. That’s another thing athletes don’t always openly admit.

Sometimes, even when opportunities arrive, they still know deep down they aren’t fully finished growing yet.

“Siguro may mga kailangan pa rin na i-improve yung season. As a player, pagiging mature ko as a player. Ano pa, sa kung ano po yung arsenal na pwede kong madagdag. Kailangan kong trabahuhin pa ngayong last season ko.”

Palacielo chose patience.

That patience also fits the way his NU career has unfolded. Palacielo was not handed everything at once. His supposed UAAP boys’ breakout year was wiped out by the pandemic. His first seniors flashes came in short bursts. Then injuries and departures around NU’s frontline pushed him into heavier responsibility. He had to grow in public, through mistakes, scoldings, and bigger assignments, until he became one of the players Jeff Napa could trust to hold the middle.

And from the very beginning of preseason, he made that urgency clear to the rest of the team.

“Pagbalik pa lang namin ng practice noong January, sinabi ko na sa teammates ko na kung wala kayong plano na may mangyari sa atin this season, umalis na kayo.”

That statement wasn’t about arrogance. If anything, it came from someone who understood exactly how short final seasons actually feel.

Because once athletes realize they’re nearing the end of their collegiate careers, every practice suddenly matters more. Every workout feels heavier. Every game starts carrying emotional weight because eventually, there are only so many left. And as one of the veterans remaining, he understood that leadership had to become intentional, too.

“Kasi ako last season ko, gusto ko talaga may mangyari ngayon. Gina-guide ko naman yung mga bago. Sinasabi ko rin sa mga veterans na natira, seniors, na tulungan natin yung mga bata. Dapat tayo nagse-set ng example.”

For Palacielo, culture doesn’t suddenly appear during the season. It gets built during practices nobody watches.

“Sinabi ko lang sa kanila na kailangan natin trabahuhin dahil nasa practice itong preseason. Dito natin malalaman kung hanggang saan tayo aabot pag season. Okay yung game ngayon pero di pa kami tapos, kailangan pa namin magtrabaho.”

And even after strong performances, he still talks like someone who knows the work isn’t finished yet.

After Season 89, the future still feels uncertain in the way sports careers usually are. Professional opportunities are waiting. Decisions still need to be made. Conversations that haven’t happened yet.

But right now, Palacielo isn’t obsessing over any of that.

“Siguro after Season 89, pahinga muna konti. Abangan na lang yung mga opportunity na dadating sa akin. Gusto maging stay ready lang ako kung anumang after this season mangyayari.”

Still, before any professional chapter officially begins, there’s one thing he wants more than anything else. One thing that would make choosing one more year feel completely worth it.

“Pero sana this season makakuha kami ng championship. Yun lang naman yung gusto ko eh. Pag ako umalis, makakuha talaga ng championship.”

In a time where athletes are constantly encouraged to move forward as quickly as possible, he chose to stay behind for one more year. Not because he had to, but because he believed there was still something worth building with NU before finally letting go.