NATIONAL U has long been known for producing promising prospects across all sports in high school - and then using them as building blocks for its collegiate teams.
And so, it sent shockwaves all over the sporting landscape when hulking Nigerian Collins Akowe was not moving up from the Bullpups to the Bulldogs.
After finishing his final season in high school to the tune of an absurd 20.9 points, 19.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks, and earning honors such as the UAAP Season 86 MVP and Season 87 Best Foreign Student-Athlete, it looked like he was the must-have for NU seniors squad head coach Jeff Napa.
Right? Right?!
Unfortunately, like his NU-Nazareth School teammate Migs Palanca, the faithful over at Jhocson were instead met with a farewell message, as Akowe went down Lacson Ave. to join up with resurgent University of Santo Tomas.
READ: UST Tigers secure commitment of UAAP Juniors MVP Collins Akowe
The 6-foot-10 big, however, explained that his surprising move was made for all the right reasons.
With the Growling Tigers boasting of an abundance of talent in the backcourt, a commanding presence like Akowe open up the floor even more for Forthsky Padrigao and Nic Cabañero, while also providing much-needed backbone to their defense.
Simply put, his fit in black-and-gold is seamless.
“I see them as a championship contender. Been watching them for a while, watched the way the system is and I believe I would be able to fit in there,” he said.
With España getting back to discussions of championship contenders after a couple of forgettable seasons, so does the 19-year-old's pursuit of a championship - one that he just missed out on in back-to-back years in high school.
Whatever colors he's wearing, it's all about winning over everything else.
“Like I said, the individual awards are just a compensation for a job well done,” he said. ”It’s a team sport, not an individual sport, nothing much to say right now until the season.”
No drama, just hoops
With Akowe winning a lot of awards - even making history with a number of them - and steering the Bullpups to back-to-back finals, his decision to continue his title pursuit elsewhere left more questions than answers.
According to sources, though, he didn’t exactly get a warm welcome to National U's seniors squad. Team B was the best offer floating around - and that prompted his looking beyond the blue-and-gold walls.
Still, Akowe had no bitterness in his tone, saying, “It’s basketball. I’m still grateful.”
“Everyone got their decisions to make. As for me, I had to do what’s best for myself,” he added.
Ironically, he will now share the frontcourt with his finals opponent, Koji Buenaflor, one of UST’s homegrown studs.
And even with Akowe’s unsatisfactory end coming at the hands of Buenaflor and the Tiger Cubs, he still looks forward to sharing the floor with his new frontcourt partner.
“I guess it’s time we’d build that chemistry. This is basketball, nothing personal,” he added.
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