Hackowe? Collins Akowe Destroys Doubt in UAAP Debut

Collins Akowe’s arrival wasn’t quiet. It was an earthquake.

In a roaring debut against the defending champion UP Fighting Maroons, the 6-foot-10 UST rookie foreign student athletes exploded for 29 points and 17 rebounds. But the numbers alone don’t tell the story. What Collins Akowe did to UP’s frontcourt borders on humiliation. He bulldozed through defenders. He laughed when they tried to foul him. He clapped on his way back down the floor, mocking the “Hackowe” strategy like a joke he’d already heard and beaten. He flexed. He hit them with the “too small” gesture. He wasn’t just dominant — he was joyful, unbothered, playing like a man who knew no one on the court could stop him. And no one could.

What makes it all more ridiculous is that not long ago, Akowe was nearly 140 kilograms, sluggish and unsure of his next move.

“So, you guys noticed? I was actually weighing 139KG when I played Asiabasket,” he said in an exclusive interview with ALL-STAR, who broke the news of Akowe’s commitment to the Growling Tigers. “Now I’m around 128KG. I was on a strict diet. I was fasting because I knew I needed to cut in less than a month.”

It wasn’t easy. There were whispers in the preseason. Critics doubted his readiness. Akowe heard it all. He didn’t respond with words — he responded with a grind that turned his body into a well-oiled machine.

“I had to quit eating snacks. Just one cup of rice a day,” Akowe shared. “I said that when I come back from Korea (UST’s offseason trip), I’m going to try to trim down, work in the gym, and work on my diet.”

His transformation wasn’t just about discipline. It was also about direction. Enter TrueFocus, a private skills training group led by Jolo Tamayo and his staff, including Akowe’s mentor Coach Derrick Caalaman.

“We worked on his post moves, staying low, using his body, and the proper timing on his bumps in the post,” revealed Tamayo. “We also worked on being patient in the post and reading the double team – when to attack and when to spin.”

They rebuilt his shot mechanics. They reprogrammed his finishing touch. “Before, it used to stop on his head before finishing his shot, now it’s more fluid,” Tamayo explained. “As for his layups: we really worked on attacking the basket, whether it is from a post or a downhill drive. That’s all we worked on day in, day out.”

Still, Akowe struggled at the line (11-21) in his debut — a rare blemish in an otherwise masterful showing. “I was surprised I missed a lot of free throws,” Akowe admitted. “But shoutout to [TrueFocus], they’ve been helping me.”

What made this moment even more dramatic was the road not taken. Akowe nearly joined De La Salle University. He had already trained with the Green Archers, and some players expected him to be their foreign student-athlete (FSA). Pairing him with Jacob Cortez, Kean Baclaan, and Mike Phillips would’ve made for an unstoppable frontline — but that’s exactly why he passed.

He didn’t want to play beside anyone. He wanted to lead.

NU, his alma mater, also wanted him — but they might have asked him to sit out a year. Akowe had waited long enough. The competition in high school was no match. College is the real test.

“I have a saying to myself: ‘Wherever you go, leave a blueprint. Be remembered.’ I just have to do it like that and make a statement. I like this win against UP. It was a statement win.”

Even the UST coaching staff didn’t fully anticipate how quickly things would come together. But assistant coach Juno Sauler saw the signs. “Basketball mentality. Good IQ, willingness to listen and learn,” he said. “That aspect has improved. He’s learned the strengths of his teammates.”

His humility is real, even if his presence is massive. “I wouldn’t say so,” Collins said when asked if this was a breakout moment. “I’m still going to stick to the system. If I get the ball in the post, fine, if I don’t, fine. I just got to do what I got to do.”

And yet, as he racked up buckets and boards, fans online couldn’t help but dream. Was this the next Ben Mbala? One Ateneo writer said Akowe’s post game looked like Angelo Kouame in Year 4. It was just Game 1.

His 29 points nearly eclipsed his high school career-best of 32 with the NU Bullpups. He might have passed it had he not been subbed out early — or missed those free throws.

The statement has been made. Collins Akowe isn’t here to be part of the story. He’s here to own it.