MANILA, Philippines—What a difference a year makes for National University forward Kenshin Padrones.

Almost exactly a year ago, Padrones was filled with uncertainties as far as his young basketball career was concerned after he took an inadvertent elbow from former UAAP MVP Malick Diouf of University of the Philippines.

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Padrones sustained a fractured orbital bone and was sidelined for the majority of his sophomore season.

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NU coach Jeff Napa and Ken Padrones after ending a four-game skid. #UAAPSeason87 @INQUIRERSports pic.twitter.com/rVN4h1BYwH

— Lance Agcaoili (@LanceAgcaoilINQ) October 5, 2024

“It’s like, we didn’t know what will happen next because I got hit in the head,” recalled Padrones in Filipino on Saturday night following NU’s 78-68 win over Ateneo that snapped a four-game losing skid.

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But that was a year ago. Fast forward to now, one thing’s clear: Buoyed by the Bulldogs’ unwavering belief in him, Padrones has been making up for lost time.

Back in full strength, Padrones played his best game yet with a career-high 18 points that went with six rebounds to help NU finish the first round on a winning note.

READ: UAAP: NU stops slide, adds to Ateneo’s woes

“I’m thankful for them (NU) because they didn’t let me go despite what happened,” said Padrones in an interview with Inquirer Sports.

“They helped me get back up. It was a big loss for me because it was my second year, I lost a lot of games but they assured me that they would help me gain whatever I had lost.”

Padrones, in particular, expressed his gratitude to his head coach Jeff Napa, who was emotional during the post-game press conference after steering his squad to just its second win in seven outings.

“I’m thankful for coach Jeff because even if that happened to me, he still trusted me. I’m happy because coach Jeff gave me such huge confidence despite what happened,” Padrones said.