ON WITH THE HUNT
Three teams are still unbeaten in Season 88 of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament, and none of them has made more heads turn than University of Santo Tomas.
After bringing down two heavyweights in the young tournament, the Growling Tigers will be facing another formidable program and another undefeated side in National U on Wednesday, with both looking for a share of the lead at UST Quadricentennial Pavilion Arena.
But for Santo Tomas, this game is more than just staying on track. It’s a way to further validate how far they have gone from an average team last season to one of the most feared here—something that wasn’t the case in the previous decade, maybe even longer.
“For me and the team, we are happy because we have made the Santo Tomas community happy,” coach Pido Jarencio told the Inquirer over the phone on the eve of their 4:30 p.m. collision with the equally rejuvenated Bulldogs. “What we promise is to keep laying everything on the floor for them (community) and give them something to keep celebrating.”
The Bulldogs, meanwhile, have also been on a tear with a healthy roster. And that is something that coach Jeff Napa believes will be crucial for them to again go deep this season, along with another thing that’s purely mental.
“No. 1 for us is consistency,” Napa said in Filipino. “Day in and day out, our approach has to be all about effort—how much we put in and how we sustain that effort every single day.
Containing Akowe
“We need to be ready, and most importantly, we need to stay healthy if we want to achieve our goals,” Napa went on.
Collins Akowe comes into the game with averages of 24.5 points and 18 rebounds, and the Santo Tomas rookie will be up against his high school alma mater for the first time with National U having Omar John trying to take care of the burly, 6-foot-10 Tiger.
Forthsky Padrigao opened his collegiate farewell tour with a bang against La Salle in a 93-83 win over the weekend, as he continues to quarterback the Santo Tomas offense that has Nic Cabañero as one of its top guns.
Padrigao, Cabañero and Akowe formed a three-sided battering ram that took down the Archers as Santo Tomas has beaten the champions and finalists of the last two years.
Meanwhile, the Green Archers seek to pick themselves up from that loss when they battle Far Eastern in the 2 p.m. game of a heavy six-game sked that will also have the women’s teams of Santo Tomas and National U squaring off at 7 p.m. in their first collision since the Lady Bulldogs won the title last year.
New Lady Bulldogs coach DA Olan will be facing his first acid test in the seasoned Haydee Ong and the Tigresses.
“For me, it’s not really feasible to bring in a new system,” Olan said after their 89-64 rout of Far Eastern last week. “Considering I got my knowledge of the game from (resigned) coach Aris (Dimaunahan), It’s gonna be the same concepts and principles.
“There’s practically nothing new with the way we play.”
