UST's Chabi Yo is UAAP MVP; Ateneo with no players in Mythical 5

MANILA, Philippines – Prior to the do-or-die match between Far Eastern University and the University of Santo Tomas last Wednesday, the individual awards were handed out.

UST’s Soulemane Chabi Yo was named the league’s Most Valuable Player while La Salle’s Justine Baltazar and Jamie Malonzo, the University of the East’s Rey Suerte and the University of the Philippines’ Kobe Paras joined him in the Mythical Five selection. The Growling Tigers’ Mark Nonoy was feted the Rookie of the Year Award.

Chabi Yo is the eighth UST player to win a MVP plum. Previous winners include Valentino Rosabal (1963), Gary Artajos (1969), Dennis Espino (1993-94), Chris Cantonjos (1995), Jervy Cruz (2007) and Dylan Ababou (2009).

UST’s previous Rookie of the Year awardees include Rosabal (1961), Gerard Francisco (1995) and Jeric Teng (2009).

Conspicuously missing from any award were any Ateneo Blue Eagles. And truthfully, they do not mind. They are after all, aspiring for the bigger prize, which is a third straight UAAP championship.

For the Ateneo squad, there is an element of déjà vu.

In 2010, when the Blue Eagles were gunning for their first ever UAAP three-peat (they accomplished that once in the NCAA), they finished second in the elimination round with a 10-4 record and had no player in the Mythical Five team. Named to the five were league MVP RR Garcia along with his teammate Aldrech Ramos, including UE’s Paul Lee and Ken Acibar and NU’s Jean Mbe.

En route to the finals, Ateneo waylaid FEU with pint-sized point guard Emman Monfort putting the clamps on Garcia.

Last season, Ateneo which went 12-2 (15-2 overall) in the elimination round did not place a single player in the Mythical Team. Listed about the season’s best five were UP’s Bright Akhuetie and Juan Gomez de Liaño, UE’s Alvin Pasaol, La Salle’s Baltazar, and Adamson’s Jerrick Ahanmisi. Ateneo’s Angelo Kouame though was named as the UAAP’s Rookie of the Year.

Interestingly, each time this happened, a UE Red Warrior was in the five with their team finishing at the tier. In Season 73, they finished sixth with a 6-8 record. Last season, UE was in last place with a 1-13 slate. This season, they finished seventh with a 4-10 record.

It must be stressed that every play deserved to be named to those teams while receiving accolades. It just so happens that Ateneo did not bag any individual awards then but did so in other years. 

Furthermore, it remains to be seen if Ateneo will bag their third straight tile and 11th UAAP crown (to go with the 14 they won in the NCAA) to go with the third three-peat in school history.