Will they make a prophet out of us?
All eyes will be on the biggest stars on the court come the UAAP men’s basketball season, which kicks off on September 30.
Fans, though, should also be on the lookout for players on the rise.
One Sports tried to list down the 5 players who would potentially break out this year for their respective teams. We opted not to include rookies like Ateneo Blue Eagles’ Mason Amos and UST Growling Tigers’ SJ Moore in this list.
Check it out.
Geo Chiu, Ateneo Blue Eagles
It’s not like he’s gonna take center stage now that Ange Kouame is out. But as one of the older players in the youthful Ateneo Blue Eagles, expect Chiu to turn it up this season even at least from a leadership standpoint.
He averaged 2.21 points and 3.57 rebounds last season. And though he will probably still be a backup slotman to Joseph Obasa, he will remain a reliable option in the paint for the Blue Eagles. Or maybe more. Who knows?
Jake Figueroa, NU Bulldogs
Coming into the new UAAP season, NU Bulldogs are arguably the most experienced. They also have one of the most reliable guards in the UAAP today in Jake Figueroa.
The do-it-all guard started in all 14 games for NU last season, norming 8.79 points, 6.93 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.43 steals.
It’s the former Juniors MVP’s third year in the league. His time is now.
Rey Remogat, UE Red Warriors
Kyle Paranada, who tallied 11.64 points, 4.21 assists, 2.86 rebounds, and 1.64 steals last season, deciding to commit to UST means more playing time for Rey Remogat.
Last season, Remogat already showed what he’s capable of doing after a 24-point explosion in a 80-72 win against the De La Salle Green Archers to wrap up the season.
In all, he averaged 4.21 points, 1.21 rebounds, 1.14 assists in almost 10 minutes per game. But given more minutes, he can definitely do more.
Cholo Anonuevo, FEU Tamaraws
Since his sojourn to the US at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, FEU Tamaraw Cholo Anonuevo has yet to show his full potential.
After his stint with the Baby Tamaraws, he committed to the seniors program but decided to forego that and chase his hoop dream in the US. He returned home not long after.
Now that he’s back, Anonuevo showed a lot of promise after averaging 6.21 points, 6.29 rebounds, 2.07 assists, and 1.57 steals in 25 minutes of play for FEU. Some likened his role to Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green.
But a lot of fans feels he can do better than that. He would probably show them just that as he teams up with the likes of Ljay Gonzales this season.
CJ Austria, De La Salle Green Archers
With Kevin Quiambao, Schonny Winston, and Evan Nelle leading the charge for the La Salle Green Archers, CJ Austria naturally had to be holstered.
While he only produced 8.3 points, 3.85 rebounds, 2.08 assists, and 1.23 steals, last year, Austria is widely seen as the next big thing for La Salle.
Now that Schonny Winston decided to move on to the PBA, this could be the 6-foot-3 cager’s year.
(GM)