Predators, Not Prey: The UST Growling Tigers Are Baring Their Fangs
The last time UST defeated Ateneo in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament, “The Martian” was playing in theaters. Kevin Durant was still ringless, and Justin Bieber’s “What Do You Mean” was doing well in the charts.
It’s been that long, huh?
To the delight of the Growling Tigers’ fanbase, Wednesday’s 74-64 win over the Blue Eagles is a precious timestamp in more ways than one. For one thing, this victory marks the end of a nine-year drought against a perennial powerhouse (which, by the way, kept the Tigers from reclaiming the UAAP throne in Season 82).
More than eradicating frustrations of the past, this win—along with the 70-55 thrashing of UE on opening weekend—sends a strong message about UST’s immediate future. And it’s in the best interest of every other UAAP team to take heed.
That message is this: The Tigers are no longer prey. This season, they’re predators in full-blown hunt mode. Here’s how they’ve bared their fangs en route to a 2-0 start.
Finally, Roster Depth Is Back
To be clear, roster depth isn’t just about piling up weapons that can outshoot the opponent. In order for a lineup to be genuinely stacked, it needs to amass players that fulfill all the roles needed by a title contender. Surprise, surprise: UST wields that depth in Season 87.
Look up and down the roster, and you’ll find dynamic scorers (Kyle Paranada and Mark Llemit), in-your-face defenders (Geremy Robinson), big bodies (Christian Manaytay and Echo Laure), and outside snipers (Leland Estacio and Ice Danting). This depth paid dividends in the Tigers’ season opener, when the UST bench outscored the UE reserves 32-19.
Not since the Aldin Ayo days has UST put together an ensemble as talented as its Season 87 lineup, which has a ridiculously high ceiling as far as postseason aspirations go. Did we mention that they have some pretty good top guys as well?
The Dynamic Duo of Padrigao and Cabañero
One dude is out to reclaim lost glory on the hardcourt, while the other guy has been waiting for serious backup since forever. While this sounds like a pitch for a good buddy cop film, Forthsky Padrigao and Nic Cabañero are in no mood for light comedy. The co-captains are out to win, and thus far, their performance on the court is a resounding yell of “Action!”
Against the Red Warriors, Cabañero led the Tigers with 14 points while Padrigao did his best Draymond Green with 5 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists. As if saving something special for a certain audience, Padrigao dished out 9 assists against Ateneo, including some no-look tricks worthy of Hawkeye in the first Avengers film.
Somewhere in the near future, the Tigers will be locked in a fierce endgame battle. Unlike seasons in the recent past, they now have two fearsome closers: Padrigao with his float game and pick-and-pop prowess, and Cabañero with his audacious drives to the rim.
Mo Tounkara and His Left Hand
Here’s some bad news for the rest of the league—there might actually be a third option when the chips are down for UST.
Thus far, Mo Tounkara is rewarding the trust of the higher-ups who picked him over Peter Osang. He moves well around the court, protects the rim pretty well, and displays a shooting form that’s smooth as silk. At 6-foot-7, Tounkara is very much capable of holding his own against the towering FSAs of other schools.
If you had to isolate just one trait that encapsulates Tounkara at his finest, rewatch the UE game and pay attention to his masterful left hand. On multiple occasions in that season opener, the Malian big man caught an expertly thrown pass from Padrigao, rose up, and effortlessly finished the basket with his left. This move isn’t just elegant; it’s also really smart, as Tounkara’s defender was constantly caught in a bad angle to go for the block.
Efficient Shots, Efficient Possessions
Tounkara—who’s made 13 of his 24 shots thus far—also exemplifies another strong quality of the Tigers in their first two games: field goal efficiency.
At the end of the elimination round last season, UST finished sixth in two-point field goal percentage (43.3%) and fifth in overall shooting clip (37.24%). While two games is a small sample size, the early returns are promising for the Tigers as they’re averaging 55.7% with their two-point field goals and 41.1% in total. (As for the percentage beyond the arc? Let’s just say that, like all other teams in the UAAP, UST has a long way to go.)
The Tigers have also shown renewed focus in terms of protecting the ball. During the Season 86 elims, UST averaged 16.6 turnovers per game—a number that placed them in the bottom half of teams for that category. After committing 14 turnovers in the season opener, a game in which just about every UST and UE player was shaking off rust, the Tigers cleaned up their act and reduced their errors by half in the Ateneo game. This discipline and commitment to growth should bode well for the Tigers as they vie for a Final Four spot.
Tigers Flexing Muscles
Shot and possession efficiency is mostly about discipline and good judgment. But, if it’s a good ol’-fashioned flexing contest that the Growling Tigers are confronted with, they won’t be backing down an inch.
There’s an argument to be made that, in the win over Ateneo, the most impactful player in a UST jersey was not named Tounkara, Padrigao, or Cabañero. That honor perhaps belongs to sophomore forward Gelo Crisostomo, who scored a career-high 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. In particular, the long-limbed Crisostomo pulled down some timely defensive boards to deny Ateneo extra chances to claw back in the game.
This type of effort in the rebounding department—along with Tounkara’s game-high 14 boards—is exactly the type of performance that puts a smile on coach Pido Jarencio’s face. On that note, have you seen how composed coach Pido has been over the first two games? UAAP fans know how animated he can be, but for now, the icon of the 2006 title campaign is as poised as can be.
The reality is this: Coach Pido can grin because his team is armed to the teeth. Right now, the UST Growling Tigers are on a mission to become the top of the food chain. All UAAP teams, beware.
