What
are UST’s chances in UAAP next season?
In a league where each team has its own
strategies and surprises, always expect the unexpected.
But one thing is for sure, the UST Growling
Tigers won’t be tagged as underdogs next season.
With all the hypes of blue chips and big men
from other countries, one team is noticeable to be noiseless. However, the
saying goes “silent but deadly”.
Last season, they pulled off the biggest surprises
and the most numbers of come from behind victories. Credit to each player’s
effort, UST won’t be named as comeback kids.
Flashback.
Finishing the season with a 10-4 win-loss card
and a runner-up title behind five-time defending champions Ateneo de Manila
Blue Eagles, the Tigers are seeking for a bigger bite next season.
The return of Aljon Mariano proved to be the
biggest factor why UST reached the unpredicted Finals’ duel with the Blue
Eagles.
When everyone was talking about the possible
year of the National University Bulldogs, who won the Filoil championship with a
perfect 11-0 record, no one expected that the Tigers could be the catalyst to most
of the basketball pundits’ predictions.
Actually, UST was ranked fifth by most of the
UAAP pre-analyses. Sad truth? Yeah, but the Jarencio-mentored squad treated it more
of a motivation rather than deterrence.
There came the much-improved Karim Abdul. The
big man showed an all-around game with big numbers in most of the departments,
from scoring, rebounding, blocking, stealing, and even in assists. No doubt he
almost snapped the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, which was given to NU’s
Bobby Ray Parks for the second time.
The good rotation also played a big role in
UST’s successful run. Talk about the Philippine Collegiate Champions’ League crown
that they took for the first time last December, where Jeric Teng exploded much
of what he can show especially on his last year in UAAP this year.
And now, with almost three months before the
regular season, some things may change a bit for UST with the loss of veteran
forward Carmelo Afuang and team captain Jeric Fortuna. But one thing is for
sure, aggressiveness remains in España.
The “ATM”
combo
For a team to be called as a championship
contender, the seasoned players are always expected to step-up especially when
badly needed. Luckily for UST, they still have Karim Abdul, Jeric Teng and
Aljon Mariano to lead a powerhouse ATM offense.
Karim
Abdul (Center).
League’s sixth best 16.93 points per game
(ppg), League’s best 11.59 rebounds per game (rpg), league’s best 1.47 steals
per game (spg), league’s third best 1.71 blocks per game (bpg).
UAAP Season 75 Mythical Five Forward, #2 in
MVP race.
The big man from Cameroon is still the main
source of both offense and defense for UST. His averages in every department
were crucial for their victorious run last season. Abdul also played almost 35
minutes per game last year, a key factor in a team where big men are lacking. Last season, he also showed different variations
with his shots that made him more unpredictable for defenders.
If Abdul continue to play his A-game next
season, he could probably dominate every team in the league with the departure
of his main rival Greg Slaughter of Ateneo.
Jeric
Teng (Shooting Guard)
13.64 ppg, 4.27 rpg, 1.09 assists per game
(apg)
UAAP Season 72 Roookie of the Year, 2012 PCCL
MVP
The incoming skipper of the Tigers will soon
play the role of what the other Jeric left, and that’s mainly as a leader and
motivator.
Teng’s three-point plays and shots from
beyond-the-arc are much needed this time especially at crunch times. Last
season, the ‘Gunslinger’ suffered a first-grade MCL that let Jarencio to sit
him out in some games.
Consistency was the main issue when he came
back. But nonetheless, he proved to be a hero when every player was on his bad
game the next matches, thanks to his experience.
After the season, he played a remarkable
performance in PCCL, where the Tigers defeated Ateneo to take home the elusive
crown. He was later proclaimed the MVP of the league, where he showed a
double-digit performance in all their games.
Teng will play his final year alongside Clark
Bautista, and nothing will be sweeter to end your UAAP career with a
championship.
Aljon
Mariano (Forward)
13.29 ppg, 7.18 rpg, 2.18 apg, 3.00 TO
Fortunately for UST, Mariano still got two
years to show what he can do for the España-based cagers.
The much-improved Mariano became the game
changer for UST, and in the league. Coming in from an ankle damage in 2011,
Mariano went on a one-year hiatus to recover from his injury. But it turned out
to be a blessing in disguise.
The former San Beda Red Cub did most of the
damage against tough contenders like De La Salle University, NU, and Ateneo,
where he ended a 12-game drought for UST in five years.
Former Ateneo coach Norman Black once tagged
him as the main “threat” for them in completing a five-year championship
drive.
Once consistency become a common word for
Mariano, who knows he could be the next season’s MVP.
New
hero to step up?
Kevin
Ferrer (Forward)
5.14 ppg, 4.57 rpg, 1.21 assists
In PBA D-League this year, 10 points is already
a bad game for Ferrer.
The former UST high school superstar will
play his third year with the Tigers, and explosiveness is the word that could
define his current performance in D-League.
Despite not showing his A-game in the
previous UAAP seasons, Ferrer is a player to watch out for on June. If he
continues to play like what he's showing in off season tournaments, add another
headache for other teams in the body of Ferrer.
A
better bench.
Ten wins were also impossible last season if
the bench didn’t contribute.
Remember Clark Bautista’s killer three-pointers
against La Salle in the first round? What about the defensive roles of Paulo Pe
and Kim Lo, who surprised us with his treys against Ateneo? Louie Vigil is
always there in case coach Pido lacks an option. Nothing’s too late for
Vigil, Season 76 is his time to shine.
Ed Daquioag also displayed a better offense
in PCCL and Millenium Basketball League. What UST basically needs next season is
a more flexible bench. Add the previous rookies last year: forward/center Robert
Hainga, Errol Villar and the swift Janrey Garrido.
New
faces for Tigers?
Kent Lao will be a great addition for UST
this upcoming season. After coach Pido decided to give him a rest last season, the
big man will make his comeback with the Tigers this year coming from a FIBA-Asia
stint with the national youth team last year.
In the international tournament, Lao averaged 9.8 points per game (PPG), 6.8 rebounds per
outing, and 54.5 percent in field goal shooting.
The previously-injured Jamil
Sheriff will make his return with UST. The 5’9 point guard from Canada will play
an important part alongside Ed Daquioag, in place of Jeric Fortuna.
A UST high school star is also expected to suit
up for the Tigers. Although things aren’t final yet, the 5’11 shooting guard
could be a good reserve for the graduating offensive guards Teng and Bautista.
No doubt he exploded two 40-point performances during his stay with the high
school team. Nine three-pointers in one game were not bad after all, right?
I guess the best thing for us now is to wait
for them to actually play and show if they still have the hearts of a champion
squad. Why not repeat 2006 in Season 76?
Let’s hope for the best. They won’t perform well
if the crowds in yellow are absent. #GoUSTe
Credits to The Varsitarian, the official student publication of the University of Santo Tomas, hoopnut (for Lao's photo) and pba-online for stats.
