BY Andrei Barrantes
EXPECTATIONS weren’t necessarily great for Cabs Cabonilas and Far Eastern University-Diliman in UAAP Season 87.
Still, what they hoped to accomplish heading into the tournament compared to what they actually achieved weren't that far off.
As all attention was on defending champion Adamson, National U led by reigning MVP Collins Akowe, and hungry University of Santo Tomas, the Baby Tamaraws were forgotten, for the most part.
They were not necessarily written off, as their historic playoff success couldn't be discounted, but the surprising departure of longtime coach Allan Albano didn't help either.
READ: Albano leaves FEU-D a two-time champ, rejoins Olsen in Perpetual
That was, until the green-and-gold started to make its presence felt.
As the season progressed, FEU-Diliman sent a statement that it was still a force to reckon with, with Cabonilas emerging as an MVP candidate.
“Hindi naman kami nag-expect na aabot kami ng Final Four kasi andaming nagsabi na mahina po kami. Pero tinrabaho po namin, tsaka nag-prepare lang po kami,” the 6-foot-5 forward said.
Cabonilas' eyes on the prize
Work was what Cabonilas did, and as eliminations narrowed down, the MVP picture became clearer and clearer. With Akowe being ineligible for MVP no matter how many absurd performances he put on, the trophy was Cabonilas and De La Salle Zobel's Kieffer Alas’ to fight over.
READ: The real MVP? Akowe welcomes first-ever Best FSA award with open arms
The race went down the wire, with their last regular season game being against each other. However, aside from Alas outperforming Cabonilas and getting the victory there, the Jr. Archer also rained down 37 points in their prior game against Ateneo.
READ: Kieffer Alas ends UAAP Season 87 out of Final Four - but as presumptive MVP
And so, even if Cabonilas managed to book the Baby Tams a trip to the Final Four, Alas is set to be hailed as top individual player.
Despite the narrow loss, the Morayta cager still tipped his hat off to the DLSZ superstar, and reiterated where his priorities lie.
“Sa akin naman po, wala akong iniisip na mga ganito kasi yung iniisip ko, sa laro lang po. Tinrabaho niya din po, pero 'di ko din iniisip. Tinutulungan ko lang po yung mga teammates ko tsaka ginagawa ko lang yung best ko,” he said.
For Cabonilas, his proudest achievement isn’t his placement in any of individual awards race - it's the gradual improvement of all of FEU-Diliman.
And even as their postseason campaign was cut short by the Tiger Cubs, it's safe to say the Baby Tams have developed the underdog persona that their senior counterparts have long worn as a badge of honor.
In an optimistic tone, Cabonilas expressed his excitement to refine his arsenal in the offseason in saying, “Good experience din po ‘yung Final Four kasi parati po ako nakikinig sa mga coaches. Sa offseason po, trabaho lang po nang trabaho para prepared po kami sa next season.”
While many may have underestimated FEU-Diliman, they can no longer do so come the next, with the bronze medalists and their MVP runner up vowing to be harder, better, faster, stronger.
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