See the future: Goggle-wearing Shaina Nitura carves a clear path as Adamson’s new star

Adamson women’s volleyball player Shaina Nitura quickly captured headlines and the sporting community’s imagination as a player to watch for the rebuilding Lady Falcons program through consistent…eyedrops?

Already a force in high school competition as the UAAP Season 86 MVP, champion, and Finals MVP, Nitura carried with her a unique habit on top of an equally unique skill set: frequent, on-court eye care, as she would squeeze out eyedrops after practically every timeout in a handful of preseason competitions.

Heading to the wild world of collegiate sports in Season 87, Nitura was again quickly a head-turner. Sure, a UAAP rookie and Adamson school record 33-point explosion in just her first college game had a lot to do with it, but she also did so with huge, tight-fit goggles that easily stand out like her abilities.

Far from simply feeling out a fashion statement, the 20-year-old phenom admitted she literally cannot play without her handy visual aid, as her struggles with eyesight were soon extensively covered as her historic exploits.

Nitura, who used to wear contact lenses, decided to stop using them after experiencing irritation and the constant use of eyedrops.

“Last January, I needed to change my contact lens since they were bound to expire, so we went to the ophthalmologist, telling my doctor that my eyes would irritate after a few hours,” Nitura told Rappler in Filipino.

“It happened even if I always cleaned my contact lens, changed eye solution, so the doctor recommended using [goggles],” she added, as she also explained that she has a visual grade of 0.375 on the right eye and 0.275 on the left, with an additional 0.075 for astigmatism.

Moving past the complicated numbers lies a simple truth: she has to play with visual aids.

Call it a cruel trade-off of physical abilities — a skill for a skill — but all that matters to Nitura now is how she can translate poor vision to a clear career outlook, especially after being given the lofty and rare honor of being a rookie captain.

Adamson head coach JP Yude, however, sees the designation as a no-brainer, as he mentored Nitura into a high school star.

“The trust had been built between us, it took time for the players to build trust with me,” he said in Filipino. “The relationship has been built until now, so I feel confident when they play since I already know them very well, their tendencies, how to correct them, and change the mood when they are down.”

Despite being young, Nitura said she will not shirk from any responsibility bestowed.

“I am happy, since we worked hard for a long time to gain trust from coach and to build trust with the coaching staff,” she said. “Admittedly, there are challenges despite my chemistry (with setter Fhei Sagaysay), we are slowly regaining it, but I’m thankful that we remain on the same page.”

Built different, in more ways than one

As with any young player, even for exceptional ones, there have been and will continue to be expected growing pains, as Adamson bowed to the mighty La Salle dynasty in straight sets right after Nitura’s historic eruption against Ateneo.

And still, even in her down moments, Nitura showed that her floor was already the ceiling of most, as none other than legendary head coach Ramil de Jesus gave the San Marcelino standout her flowers after a 16-point effort against the Angel Canino-led Lady Spikers.

“‘Yung bata, bata pa talaga pero grabe maglaro. Grabe ‘yung instinct, makikita mo ‘yung court IQ niya sobrang taas,” he said. “At the same time, ‘yung leadership niya talagang siguro pagdating ng sophomore or junior year nito, ibang klase na ‘tong batang ‘to sobra.”

(She’s young but her instinct and court IQ is already sky-high. At the same time, her leadership by sophomore or junior year could be really different.)

Canino, a former rookie MVP who started practically on the same path as Nitura, also had a no-nonsense assessment of her younger foe.

“Actually, she made it difficult for us starting from preparations, because as coach Ramil told us, she has so many variations as a player and she’s so fierce to a point where she can adapt to whomever is placed in front of her,” she said in Filipino.

“I was impressed with her because of her bravery on the court against anyone. It’s as if she’s not a rookie.”

‘Be yourself’

High praise for Nitura aside, Yude knows full well that his longtime ward was bound to quickly get the attention and respect of foes and friends alike, and that an overnight, stratospheric rise to fame is certainly a possibility for a player of her caliber.

Knowing he cannot fully shield her from the barrage of glory that awaits, Yude kept it simple with Nitura: “Be yourself.”

“She just has to be a right leader and be the right example for her teammates in and out of the court, especially with how she handles things like pressure,” he said after Nitura bombed down 18 more points in Adamson’s bounce-back win over UE.

“With so many expectations, I always remind her to be herself, just play what we’ve been training for, and play as how you are. You don’t have to be a copy of anyone, just be yourself.”

The phrase “the sky is the limit” gets tossed around often, but it truly fits Nitura like a hand in a glove — or goggles to a face, if you will, in this case.

With the right support system, all that is blurry ahead will in time be clear, and we’re not talking about eyesight anymore. – Rappler.com