ALL eyes may be on Precious Momowei, but in Mo Tounkara's view, he also has what it takes to be hailed as among the best foreign student-athletes (FSA) this UAAP Season 87.
“In my mind, I think I’m the best. Since the season started, I think I’m the best. That’s my mindset,” he said.
In all fairness to him, the Malian center has backed up his claim, averaging 14.0 points and 8.6 rebounds to help University of Santo Tomas make noise with a 4-3 win-loss record in the first round.
And it’s quite a journey considering that Tounkara only started learning the sport in 2017.
Idolizing Kevin Durant, the 6-foot-8 banger has shown great strides in his game leading to him earning a scholarship in UST in 2022.
“I thank God a lot for all these blessings. I thank God for giving me this ability to show my talents every day,” he said. “I’ll keep doing the same thing, keep improving every day, and keep showing up. I’m learning every day.”
READ: Karim Abdul expects Tounkara to develop further under coach Pido
So far, Tounkara has held his own against the other bigs in the league, one that he relishes not just for the Growling Tigers’ success, but also for his personal development.
“It’s pretty good experiences, learning from those guys. They’re all tough, so I’ll keep learning from the game and keep growing,” the 20-year-old said.
Mo' room for improvement
But coach Pido Jarencio warned Tounkara that his starting center's got a ways to go, as the former wants the latter to remain hungry for UST.
“Malayo pa. Marami pang igagaling si Mo kaya sana ipagpatuloy niya lang yung sipag niya,” the outspoken mentor said.
Tounkara, however, remains audacious.
For him, as good as the first round was for the Growling Tigers, there’s still more that the Espana side can conquer with bigger wars still ahead.
“We got our goal for this season, so we're just gonna keep it up,” he said. “For sure, we’re looking at the Final Four, so why not the finals?”
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