BY John Miles Arcenal
AFTER a dominant stint in the high school division, all eyes are now on 6-foot-10 Collins Akowe, as he makes the leap to the collegiate level in UAAP Season 88.
Fresh from leading NU-Nazareth School to back-to-back finals appearances, expectations for him only grew greater when he made the sudden move to University of Santo Tomas.
Yet for the league’s first-ever Best Foreign Student-Athlete, the weight of expectations actually feel good resting on his broad shoulders.
READ: 6-10 Akowe eager to help out 'championship contender' UST
Akowe insists there's no pressure, just basketball, saying, “I’m just gonna do my thing. I’m just gonna do the Collins Akowe thing, you know, just do what I do.”
“I’m just gonna keep my business, I’m just gonna go all-out every single game. No jokes. This time, I’m representing UST, so I’ll do everything I can.”
In his fresh start in the Growling Tigers’ lair, Akowe admitted the transition wasn’t entirely smooth, but the warm welcome from his coaches and teammates eased his early struggles.
“It was kinda hard at first. I think when we played in Asiabasket, that’s not really my game, but now I think I’m adjusting well and I’m trying to show them,” he said.
“They welcomed me with open arms, my coaches, my teammate and everyone, so it was nice, it was good,” he added.
Front of the FSA line
The Nigerian big made history as the first foreign student-athlete (FSA) to move up from the juniors to the seniors’ ranks, earning five years of eligibility in the process.
“It’s a good opportunity, so you know, I feel like I opened an opportunity for FSAs in high school now coming into college. It’s a great opportunity for them and I hope the other FSAs learn from it and try to show in college,” said the 19-year-old center.
“Just gonna keep improving every single day, every single game. I keep trying my best you know, so in four to five years, hopefully, my chemistry (with my teammates) will be the same and know I have to step up my game,” he added.
Still, he knows that it won’t be as easy as before, acknowledging the higher level of intensity in the collegiate ranks, especially when facing veteran FSAs.
“I think I’m the only rookie FSA, so all of them have experience, but yeah it’s not all about it, it’s about the game, so I believe I can match up against them,” he stressed.
Indeed, Akowe is just doing his usual thing, getting in shape to prepare himself for a tougher battle, but this time, he’s backed by an unlikely ally - his former high school tormentor and now fellow rookie, Koji Buenaflor.
As he put it, “We’re trying to build the chemistry, it’s all basketball. We’re doing well and we’re going to do everything together for the team and we have a dream in the basketball court - to win the championship.”
After the Growling Tigers finally returned to the Final Four for the first time in five seasons, the mission for Akowe and Co. is crystal clear.
“The goal this season is championship,” he declared. “I’ll do whatever it takes to win the championship. Whatever it takes.”
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