TAMAYO NAMED UAAP ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
ATENEO’S foreign student-athlete, Ange Kouame, is the Most Valuable Player of the UAAP Season 84 men’s basketball tournament after he collected a whopping 71.188 statistical points (SPs) at end of the double round-robin elimination round that saw the Blue Eagles finish as the top seed.
The 6-foot-11 center has been pivotal for the Blue Eagles this season with his superb averages of 12.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.4 blocks, 2.3 assists and 1.0 steals.
He will be the first Ateneo player to win the prestigious award since Kiefer Ravena achieved the feat back in 2014 and 2015.
Meanwhile, the University of the Philippines’ Cebuano big man Carl Tamayo was named the UAAP’s Rookie of the Year for Season 84 after a spectacular season that saw him amass 58.176 SPs for the Fighting Maroons.
The 6-foot-7 Talisay City, Cebu native posted stellar numbers of 13 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.3 steals to help UP grab the second seed after the elimination round. The Fighting Maroons eventually won over La Salle in the semifinals and are now just a victory away from capturing their very first UAAP men’s basketball championship since 1986.
He beat out La Salle’s energetic forward Michael Phillips, who had 55.688 SPs.
Completing the UAAP Mythical Five are Kouame, Tamayo and his fellow UP rookie, Zavier Lucero, Philips, and his La Salle teammate, Justine Baltazar.
The awards were given right before Game Two of the UAAP finals on May 11.