Editor’s Note: Every week, SPIN.ph will pick the five best performers per position in the ongoing UAAP Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.
JUST when we thought we were coasting to the Final Four, the Undas break turned the league on its head, reviving seemingly teams which were dead in the water to muddle a wild pack in the middle of the standings.
And Sunday’s day of upsets was a perfect microcosm to it as there’s still a fighting chance even for those at the bottom of the ladder.
Let’s take a look at this week’s best performers.
Guard: Patrick Yu (NU)
17 points (5/7 3PT), 2 assists, 1 rebound vs UP
Often forgotten, Yu proved why he’s the most veteran of all the Bulldogs as he caught fire at the right time to keep his side fighting.
In danger of elimination, National University leaned on the graduating guard to engineer easily the biggest upset of the season to stifle the seemingly impenetrable shield of University of the Philippines.
Yu admitted that it has been a struggle of a season for him, but with how he shot the lights out at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion, he’s hopeful to put those woes behind him and guide the Jhocson side in a miraculous run for the ages as narrow as their Final Four chances are.
Guard: Matt Erolon (Adamson)
14 points (4/11 3PT), 4 assists, 2 rebounds vs UE
For an Adamson team in dire need of an offensive spark, Erolon stepped up to the plate to end the team’s dryspell.
Erolon found his groove from the outside and shot the Soaring Falcons back in postseason conversation with his sweet stroke from deep.
Yes, Adamson’s win over UE wasn’t pretty, but it was just enough to get by and more importantly, halt a five-game skid.
Forward: AJ Fransman (Adamson)
14 points (3/12 3PT), 9 rebounds, 1 steal vs UE
Fransman’s tireless efforts were finally rewarded with a win as he laid it out on the floor battling his counterparts from Recto.
And his energy was a big reason for the Soaring Falcons’ impeccable defense, holding the Red Warriors to a paltry 26-percent shooting from the floor.
There’s no doubt that the intensity goes up a notch whenever Fransman steps on the floor for the San Marcelino crew.
Forward: Veejay Pre (FEU)
20 points, 8 rebounds vs UE
Far Eastern University coach Sean Chambers dared to call Pre as the future of the UAAP, if not Philippine basketball, and heck, we second the motion.
The Kapampangan forward has been nothing short of impressive for the Tamaraws in his first year in the seniors level and he showed that again in their upset victory over UE.
His career game last week may have gone for naught, but you just can’t deny that Pre is one of this season’s best.
Center: Mo Konateh (FEU)
11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals, 3 points vs UE
Precious Momowei may have won the numbers battle, but Konateh won the war.
Though he only churned out three points, the Gambian center’s defensive presence was a game-changer for FEU in keeping UE in check as they only shot 28-percent from the field.
It’s gonna be interesting who among those two foreign student-athletes will make it to the Mythical Team by the end of the season, but for this week, it’s Konateh who got the baton.
6th Man: Jake Figueroa (NU)
11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals vs UP
Oh, how we missed the presence of Figueroa in the top performers list.
The fourth-year forward has been the lynchpin for NU, constantly producing the numbers despite the team’s struggles.
But on Sunday, he didn’t really need to be the one to hog the spotlight as Figueroa’s dirty work enabled the Bulldogs to survive elimination.
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