After impressive stint with UE, Fil-Am Villegas prefers to go pro in Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American Luis Villegas has wrapped up his stint in the UAAP after an impressive year with the UE Red Warriors, who saw a resurgence in their program.
Villegas, who was a one-and-done player for UE, helped pumped life into the Red Warriors' team as they suddenly were contenders for a Final Four spot despite being cellar dwellers just a season before.
He normed 13.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.9 steals in his 14 games for the Red Warriors, which was enough to net him a spot in the UAAP Season 85 Mythical Team.
Villegas was the diamond in the rough as he joined stalwarts from UAAP Season 85 finalists Ateneo and UP, namely Malick Diouf, Carl Tamayo, Dave Ildefonso and Forthsky Padrigao in receiving the individual award.
Now with his collegiate career behind him, Villegas expressed desire to stay in the Philippines and hopefully go professional in the PBA, or in any of the other pro leagues in the country.
"Preferably, it would be here," he said of where he plans to play moving forward.
"But if there are other options, then I'd have to take that into consideration," he added.
Villegas also added that his run with the Red Warriors, which resulted in a citation for his performance, was dedicated not just to himself, but to the whole UE community.
"[I'm] very grateful for my teammates, for the community. This isn't just an individual award. I think of this as a team award for UE. So, I'm just grateful," he said.
Villegas and the UE Red Warriors finished sixth in the UAAP season with a 5-9 record after going winless in 14 games in Season 84.
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