Ateneo's Kouame, other top varsity athletes to be feted as Collegiate Awards returns

MANILA, Philippines – College basketball's top performers are set to be recognized when the Collegiate Press Corps Awards Night returns after four years.

For the first time since the pandemic hit, the Collegiate Press Corps — composed of reporters from various print and online publications covering the UAAP and the NCAA — will fete the best hoopers in the collegiate scene in the past three seasons.

During the awards night at The Hummingbird Rooftop Bar in Quezon City, presented by the San Miguel Corporation and the Philippine Sports Commission, the Collegiate Press Corps are set to award three sets of Collegiate Basketball Mythical Five teams.

The Mythical Five selections are composed of players from both the UAAP and the NCAA, with the 2022-23 batch led by Ateneo Blue Eagles’ Ange Kouame.

Kouame, in the UAAP Season 85 men’s basketball finals, towed Ateneo back to the championship as he normed 17.7 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks in the three-game finals series against the UP Fighting Maroons.

There, he was named Finals MVP.

Joining him are league MVPs Malick Diouf of the UP Fighting Maroons and CSB Blazers’ Will Gozum.

Diouf averaged 10.79 points, 10.86 boards, 2.86 assists, 1.57 blocks, and 1.5 steals for the Fighting Maroons who booked back-to-back finals appearances in the UAAP. Gozum, for his part, led the Blazers to the NCAA Season 98 finals after a stellar elimination round where he averaged 17.2 points on 53.1% shooting, 9.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.1 blocks.

Rounding up the Mythical Five for the 2022-23 collegiate season are NCAA Season 98 champion Louie Sangalang of Letran, and Adamson University’s Jerom Lastimosa.

For the pandemic-shortened 2021-22 season, UAAP Season 84 finals protagonists Kouame and Diouf are also part of the Mythical Team.

Diouf, along with teammate Carl Tamayo, lead the pack as they ended UP’s 36-year title drought in the UAAP during Season 84.

The Senegalese center won Finals MVP that year as he led UP back to the championship with averages of 11.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2.7 steals, two assists, and a block in their three-game finals series against Kouame and Ateneo.

Tamayo, meanwhile, was named UAAP Rookie of the Year and was also named to the league’s Mythical Team that season. The forward averaged 13.14 points, 7.29 rebounds, and 1.36 assists in their 14 games of elimination.

Kouame was league MVP with averages of 12.86 markers, 11 boards, and 1.71 assists.

Also on the 2021-22 Mythical Team is NCAA Rookie MVP Rhenz Abando. In his first and only year with the Letran Knights, Abando posted norms of 15.73 points, 6.36 rebounds, 1.73 assists, and 1.27 blocks.

Abando helped lead the Knights to their second NCAA championship in a row against Mapua in NCAA Season 97.

His Letran teammate Jeo Ambohot wraps up the Mythical Team for the 2021-22 collegiate season.

The Knights are also well represented in the 2019-20 edition of the Mythical Five as they returned to the top of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament with the help of Season 95 Finals MVP Fran Yu.

Yu helped Letran end a four-year title drought as he averaged 13.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, six assists, and two steals in the Knights’ three-game conquest of rivals San Beda in 2019.

His teammate, Jerrick Balanza, who returned to basketball after brain surgery, joins Yu in the Mythical Team.

Their finals foe Calvin Oftana also makes an appearance as he was hailed league MVP that year with norms of 15.6 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 blocks. Oftana paced San Beda to an immaculate 18-0 eliminations record and an outright finals berth before Letran stopped their dominance in the championship round.

Meanwhile, UAAP Season 82 finalists Ateneo and UST are represented by Thirdy Ravena and Soulemane Chabi Yo to wrap up the 2019-20 team.

Ravena, in his final year for the Blue Eagles, won his third straight Finals MVP as he helped Ateneo to a three-peat at the expense of UST.

In their two-game sweep in the finals, which punctuated an undefeated season at 16-0, Ravena averaged 24.5 points on 55% shooting and tallied six rebounds, and four assists.

Chabi Yo, for his part, helped the Growling Tigers conquer a twice-to-beat UP Fighting Maroons squad in the stepladder semifinals to lead UST to the finals. He was also named league MVP with an average of 16.9 points, and a league-best 14.7 rebounds in eliminations that year.

The three sets of Mythical Teams will be honored at the Awards Night which is also supported by Robinsons Supermarket, Robinsons Appliances and Handyman.