The Week That Was: Exciting UAAP week on and off the court

This must be one of the most exciting weeks in the history of the 76-year old UAAP. The drama never seems to stop. And it’s not just because of the Ateneo-La Salle tussle last Sunday. Of course, there were exciting games as well as lopsided ones. But this week, the intramurals outplay the actual games.

1. Mikee Reyes quits UP after first game

Star guard Mikee Reyes has left the team after he was relegated to the third unit during practice right after the Fighting Maroons lost their opening day game against the Adamson Falcons. Reyes also said that in that same practice, UP head coach Ricky Dandan told him in front of the whole team that they did not need him to win games. This prompted the 22-year old veteran guard to send Dandan a text message later that day that he was leaving the team. His departure certainly adds to the woes of the Maroons, who last won in the UAAP in the first round of Season 75 with a 63-48 victory over UE. They are now down 0-3, after also losing to La Salle and FEU.

2. Ateneo is now 0-3

Defending five-time champions Blue Eagles find themselves in a quandary after absorbing their third straight loss in as many games last Sunday. Worse, they suffered this third defeat at the hands of archrival Green Archers, 73-82. With go-to-guy Kiefer Ravena still nursing an ankle injury, Ateneo could not hold on to a 48-34 advantage in the third quarter after dominating the first half. La Salle exploded for 54 points in the second half to end a six-game losing skid to Ateneo since 2010. It’s still unclear when Ravena will get the green light to suit up for the Eagles this season, casting a huge shadow on their quest for a sixth straight crown.

3. Aroga dropped from Bulldogs’ roster

Cameroonian Alfred Aroga was to be the answer to NU’s campaign for a UAAP title this year. But he won’t be seeing action for NU this year after the UAAP board found Aroga to be short of the two-year residency policy. While NU officials claim that he has completed two school years already, the league is saying that it should have been two calendar years. Aroga, who averaged 13.5 points, 10 rebounds and 1.6 blocks during the pre-season, could have been a defensive nightmare for any squad this year because of his skills, quickness and athleticism. But now the Bulldogs will have to wait another year before utilizing his strengths.

4. NU deputy coach suspended for almost hitting UE's Charles Mammie with elbow

My good buddy and NU assistant coach Vic Ycasiano was slapped a one-game suspension for reportedly throwing an elbow that almost made contact with UE center Charles Mammie last Saturday. Mammie appeared to be resting near the Bulldogs’ bench during a lull in the NU-UE game when Ycasiano was seen by some UAAP officials as extending an elbow to the direction of Mammie. These two are no strangers to each other though as Mammie stayed for a while with NU before moving to UE.

5. Adamson Falcons suffer multiple losses in just one game

Host Adamson dropped a 62-67 decision to UST last Saturday before discovering that at least seven team members had lost their valuables to thieves in the dugout of the Araneta Coliseum. The stolen items were mostly iPhones and cash. The Falcons, now 1-1 in the tournament, were up by halftime, 34-26. But the Tigers started strong in the third canto and put the clamps down defensively on Adamson to cruise to the victory.

6. Sumang scores rare four-point play to lift UE over NU

Sensational guard Roi Sumang took the challenge of taking the last shot with no less than Bobby Ray Parks in front of him, and did not disappoint his team. With the game tied at 67-all in the dying seconds, Sumang drilled a long three-point bomb over the outstretched arms of Parks, who also fouled him in the process. The veteran guard completed the four-point play with his free throw to give his team the 71-67 win over the Bulldogs, and its first win in two outings.

7. FEU leads the pack with a 3-0 card

Nobody really thought FEU would emerge as the early leader this season, except perhaps for the Tamaraws themselves. After a stunning upset win over UE on opening day, FEU also chalked up victories over five-peat champ Ateneo (79-75) and UP (75-57). But what’s even more remarkable is the way the Tams are playing beautiful music together despite having two of the biggest superstar guards in the UAAP – Terrence Romeo and former MVP RR Garcia. To the delight of the FEU faithful, both players, who have been long rumored to be squabbling, had several highlight plays passing to each other this season so far. Credit of course must be given to new coach Nash Racela, who has been preaching balanced offense and team play since he took over the Tams early this year.

Top Game of the Week: FEU versus Ateneo

The Tams survived a hard-fighting Blue Eagles side, 79-75, in overtime last Saturday as Ateneo continued to miss the services of top player Kiefer Ravena. In a game that saw 10 lead changes and five deadlocks, FEU weathered repeated comeback attempts of ADMU and proved steadier in extra period to complete the win. Romeo had another stellar performance with 21 markers, nine boards, three assists and three steals to lead the Tams, while Mike Tolomia and Garcia added 16 and 13 points respectively. Veteran Ateneo forward Ryan Buenafe had a monster game with 29 markers, 15 boards and three assists in a losing effort.

Man of the Week: Terrence Romeo

There is no doubt that the week belongs to Romeo. Aside from leading FEU to three straight wins, including two this week against Ateneo and UP, he has also posted double-double numbers in those two games with 20.5 points and 10.5 boards, to go along with two assists. The former UAAP Juniors MVP seemed to have matured a lot this season, as he has become more of a team player now despite still leading the team in scoring. At least this time, he gets his teammates more involved in the offense, which has paid dividends to the Tams so far.

Who’s Hot: Honorable mention must be given to the following for this week’s performances: Roi Sumang (19 points and 6 rebounds versus NU, including game-winning four-point play), Arnold Van Opstal (18 points and 8 rebounds versus Ateneo).

Who’s Not: Joseph Marata of UP was limited to a measly four points versus FEU after going off for a career-high 24 against former team DLSU.

Editor's note: The blogger's views do not represent Yahoo! Southeast Asia's position on the topic or issue being discussed in this post.