THE big men from out of town—‘er country—are dominating the collegiate basketball scene.
Bright Akhuetie, the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons’ dominant center from Nigeria, will lift the Most Valuable Player (MVP) trophy for Season 81 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament.
Call it the year of the Nigerians as Akhuetie’s countryman, Prince Eze, pulled off the same feat in the National Collegiate Athletic Association a week ago, who like the Fighting Maroon stamped his height and brawn over his local counterparts.
Incidentally, the 6-foot-8 Akhuetie and the 6-foot-11 Eze share the same roots on Philippine soil as University of Perpetual Help Altas.
Akhuetie became the first Fighting Maroon since Eric Altamirano in 1986 to win the MVP award.
To underscore the foreigners’ dominance, Ateneo’s Angelo Kouame—also an African from Ivory Coast—ran second behind Akhuetie in the UAAP MVP race.
Akhuetie tallied 18.9 points, 14.6 rebounds and 2.8 assists in Season 81 for 82.50 statistical points (SPs), beating Kouame who amassed 76.2 SPs in his rookie year.
Kouame, however, was dropped from the Mythical Five because the UAAP only allows one foreign player in the selection.
University of the East (UE) have become the league’s whipping boy but not in the battle for individual honors.
Alvin Pasaol wound up third in the MVP race with 74.57 SPs, numbers that made him ripe for the pros and no longer for a Red Warriors side that dwells at the bottom of the standings with only one victory this season.
Rounding out the top 10 were Juan Gomez de Liaño (63.86 SPs) also of UP, Justine Baltazar (61.29 SPs) of De La Salle, Jerrick Ahanmisi (53.38 SPs) of Adamson University, University of Santo Tomas rookie CJ Cansino (57.3 SPs), Adamson University’s Sean Manganti (56.85 SPs) and Papi Sarr (55.64 SPs) and Ateneo’s Thirdy Ravena (55.23 SPs).
Reigning four-time girls champion National University, meanwhile, swept UP Integrated School, 25-5, 25-20, 25-10, to stay perfect in the high school volleyball tournament on Sunday at the FEU-Diliman Gym.
Jessa Ordiales had eight points, Alyssa Solomon had three service aces for seven hits and Minerva Maaya also added seven points for the Bullpups.
With its ninth consecutive win, NU is just three victories away from claiming an outright Finals berth.
Ateneo turned to rookie Manu Mariano’s early goal to beat De La Salle-Zobel, 1-0, for a winning start in juniors football tournament also on Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Mariano struck in the fourth minute as the Blue Eaglets claim their first win after two seasons.
In the other match, NU beat UST, 1-0. Eight-time champion Far Eastern University-Diliman drew an opening day bye.