UNIVERSITY of the Philippines center Malick Diouf already won the MVP award last UAAP season and is expected to be the most dominant in the coming campaign with Ange Kouame graduating after a stellar college career at Ateneo.
Diouf doesn't think so.
“For me I don’t have any pressure because to me, I’m not the best. I have to compete to be the best and I just want to win games," the Maroons' foreign student athlete said. "I just do what the coaches ask me to do and to lead my team to the win.
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"So I don’t feel any pressure of being the best.”
The Senegalese averaged 10.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game in leading UP to the finals last season and is going great guns again in the Maroons' run to the Final Four of the Filoil EcoOil Preseason Cup.
But he and UP coach Goldwyn Monteverde insist this Maroons team that is going through a transition after losing three key players including Carl Tamayo and Zavier Lucero is still in the getting-to-know-you stage.
“Right now, nasa stage pa kami na we’re looking for ways on how to work together on both ends," Monteverde said. "Kasi marami kaming mga players na we know have the potential, but syempre, alam namin natin na at this level malaki talaga ang learning curve for them."
Diouf said: “It’s hard to have new players, we're still adjusting to what coach wants from us and what is expected of us. We just have to be patient and learn more every day.”
Monteverde is looks to Diouf to be the glue to put this team together.
“Yung leadership niya for the team is what he has been working on for the past few months," he said. "It’s a different challenge for him kasi mas bata ang mga teammates niya ngayon."
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