It is that time of the year again when I ask myself how could I possibly survive eight months without UAAP basketball. Ofcourse I eventually move on but every year; from the second weekend of July till whenever the Tiger's season concludes, UAAP rules my world. It is my favorite event of every year, even more than Christmas. Now another season ends and it is time to say goodbye to the tigers that are graduating this year: Ababou, Mirza and Maliksi. I am finding it harder to say goodbye this year. I mean its Ababou and Mirza! They are my top two favorite tigers for the past three years.
Dylan Ababou is awesome this year. Bagging the MVP plum and carrying the team to the final four, he made the UST community proud by the leadership he showed on and off the court that I could only hope that his young teammates would follow in his example. He was expected to step up and he did not dissapoint. His game greatly improved thanks to the Smart Gilas training. It is noticeable that he moves differently from the rest of the team that got me thinking woun't it be great if Coach Toroman trains our team (of course, that would not happen.) I'm so excited for his future, he would be playing for the national team and I'll make sure to watch the Smart Gilas games. I hope we would do greater things for the flag than Cyrus showed this year. I can't say it enough, Ababou is awesome.
This is also Mirza's last year. Warning! I am going into fan girl mode!
I feel three years are not enough, for I am so fascinated with this guy. I can not even explain why I find him so attractive. I think its the eyes, and the cheekbones, and the mole above his lips, possibly even his nose. Last time I had a UAAP crush was on Cyrus Baguio and it was seven years ago. Cyrus have more or less been the standard in all my crushes and Mirza looks different from Cyrus. They just have different auras, so I'm really surprise with myself. I mean, if I would have a crush on an tiger(I don't see myself having crushes on another team, they may be cute but I still would not care.) the logical choice would be Dylan; because he is the best player, he is cute, smart and resposible with his studies(way more than Cyrus, I must say), plus, he looks clean which is the first thing I look for in a guy. While Khasim is unorthodoxically handsome, has a gangly frame and inconsistent game. But since 2007, I have been fond of Khasim. I think it started with his spectacular game during UST-DLSU rd. 2. Down by 12 points under the last two minutes, he provided firepower for the Tigers that enabled them to take the game into overtime and eventually win. My favorite part was when Jervy did a celebratory bump with him at tumalsik siya, kasi naman 1/3 lang ata si Khasim ng katawan ni Jervy; still he looked so cute as he laughed. His game was non-existent last year but this season he made-up for that. He was a good offensive support for Dylan, his free-throws improved and he wasn't so skinny anymore but it would help him if he would bulk up more. He had a good 1st round but his game dipped on the 2nd, I guess the opposing team learned how to defend him. He was really frustrated during the last minutes of the final four game with the eagles. His last UAAP game. He looked so sad, it was heart-breaking. Unlike Ababou, I don't know where I could watch Khasim next; I'm guessing PBL pero kailan ba palabas yun? He has to persevere, he's tall and has a good shooting touch, he needs to be more consistent in his game. I wholeheartedly the wish the best for him. And I really, really want to meet him and have a picture with him!!! Internet is so dissapointing there's hardly any info about him. During Cyrus' time there were loads of stuff for any stalker to consume including his plate number. Now, I cannot even find his birthdate or his course. Where are the super fans that is so willing to give out personal informations? I should not have deleted my friendster account, last two years I can still find Mirza's and I am also two degrees connected to a tiger; now I think his profile is set to private. Sumikat na kasi eh. I just want a picture with him and his signature on my ticket sa kanyang last game. Sya, tama na fan girl mode.
Moving on to next season, I think we would still be ok; we just have to learn defense. Jeric Teng is fantastic, I hope he won't have sophomore jinx because scoring wise he is now the leader of this team. Jeric Fortuna improved a lot. I thought a Tigers without Japs at the point would be a nightmare but he did a good job but ofcourse he needs command his team more, he is only 17 (so young, and he would be considered as a veteran next year) and he still have a lot to learn. Clark Bautista, my favorite rookie of '08, must be more consistent so he can fill in the scoring gap left by Ababou and Mirza. I know he plays the 2 guard spot but if he plays the point I think he would be destructive. Camus is good, konting aggresiveness pa. I hope Melo Afuang would step up big time and I wish Green would know how to shoot in point blank range and be more disciplined. And keep up the good free-throw shooting percentage!
I still consider this a good season despite the losing record. The team had an amazing start, a so-so middle then a bad finish; still good enough for final four. The opposing teams learned how to defend the tiger's offense and the tigers failed to adjust. The losing skid did come at the worst time but still the Tigers did more than what is expected of them. It was an exciting season, so, thank you Tigers!
I had an invitation to join a climb set on the same date as the final four match, and I just have to defer. Its possible na nagtatampo na sila, hindi nila maiintindihan. To them its just a basketball game but this is UAAP, its the UST Growling Tigers. There's no way I'm going to miss their last game. It's Ababou and Mirza. (And Maliksi but I only became aware of Maliksi this season and I'm not attached to him.)(It was a touching moment when they bowed to the UST gallery.) Yesterday, there is no where I would rather be than Araneta; not even on the top of the world.
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Plus, I memorised the UST Hymn just for these games and I want an oppurtunity to sing it. Now, I won't feel guilty na hindi ko alam ang school song ko whenever the other schools are singing their song because I can sing the UST Hymn proud and loud.
