COLLINS Akowe made the loudest noise in his first two games for University of Santo Tomas - toppling no less than La Salle and the University of the Philippines, the champions of the last two seasons.
Tonight against National U, however, against his former school and squad, he was silenced.
READ: NU silences noisemakers Akowe, UST to improve to 3-0
Nothing went the prized rookie’s way, scoring just five points on three free throws and a dismal one-of-seven clip, as the Bulldogs tamed the Growling Tigers, 76-69, inside the Quadricentennial Pavillion in España.
Akowe’s body language throughout the match was noticeably off.
The simple reason for it? He was under the weather and had to sit out the last few black-and-gold training sessions as a result.
His flu game nearly had his body give up on him, as the Nigerian dynamo admitted struggling to keep his balance in the 31 minutes he saw action.
“I can tell you all about it, but I don't want to give excuses. I was so dizzy,” he bared to SPIN.ph.
“I want to go home and sleep. I'm dizzy. Even on the basketball court, I was so dizzy, but it’s all in the bag now.”
There were even a few tense moments between Akowe and other National U players during the game, most notably his fellow foreign student-athlete Omar John.
NU revenge game?
But the 6-foot-10 rookie categorically denied being held back by the thought of facing the team that saw him get out and away from their kennel.
“No, no, no. I’m just playing basketball. It’s not about playing NU or whatever. I’m just playing basketball,” he said.
“I'm just going to do my thing. I don't care what happens out there. I just want to play basketball and I'm just going to play basketball.”
Claiming the scalps of the Green Archers and the Fighting Maroons may have swayed Akowe & Co. the wrong way in terms of how they dealt with the Bulldogs, now the joint-league-leaders.
With a sour reality check on their home court now behind them, Akowe’s all business from here on out, as he takes the bad with the good in his first salvo in the college ranks.
“We're about to go back tomorrow, man. Practice starts tomorrow. We’ll move on. It's already done. There's nothing we can do,” the UST rookie said.
“We don't need to worry. It's not going to set us back and everything. In fact, it’s a lesson for me, this game.
“Maybe they’ll see this as a loss, but I’ll take it as a lesson.”
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