ATENEO star Kiefer Ravena. EDWIN BELLOSILLO
MANILA, Philippines—It may be too early to hand out the hardware, but with the UAAP Seniors basketball tournament done with its first round, numbers are aplenty and players have stood out from the rest.
Ateneo Blue Eagles talisman Kiefer Ravena has been the consensus top player for the first round lifting his team to a first seed with a 6-1 record and he looks like a runaway hot cannon gunner with a recent 38-point outburst.
And with the most glaring number in the books, it’s time for league-leaders to come out and play.
Top gun
Scoring a career-high against the University of the East Red Warriors, Ravena spread out his wings with the fourth-year raptor finishing with 38 points dodging the red axes and completing a 21-point comeback, 93-91.
With his career-game against one of the most illustrious schools in the UAAP, Ravena amassed a league-leading 23.0 points-per-game average, the runaway leader in the scoring game.
Ravena’s closest competitors are Far Eastern University Tamaraws forward Mark Belo with a 16.6 ppg average and guard Mike Tolomia with 16.3 ppg average.
FEU also comes in second to Ateneo in the team standings with a 5-2 record.
De La Salle University Archer forward Jeron Teng comes in with a 15.0 ppg to lead the his team to a 5-2 slate, good for third as FEU beat them in their first outing.
Struggling Warrior Roi Sumang has a dismal 14.1 ppg average, a subpar performance for his standards.
Erase the boards
With the old basketball adage, immensely popularized in a 90s basketball anime of which every Filipino basketball fan knows the end credits song, of “he who controls the boards controls the games,” National University big man Alfred Aroga and Jeth Rosario may have the controllers in their hands.
Aroga gobbled an average of 9.7 rebounds per game and had a season-high of 15 in a victory over the struggling Red Warriors 57-55.
Rosario is the number two controller in the glass with 8.3 rpg, even as the lanky forward stretches the floor with his long-range shooting.
Archers forward Jason Perkins used his girth to good use with a similar average as Rosario’s with 8.3 with the Heft Lefty gobbling up the boards for DLSU.
Red Warriors center Charles Mammie grabbed 8.1 rebounds for UE and forwards Jansen Rios of the erstwhile grounded Adamson Soaring Falcons and Glenn Khobuntin of the NU Bulldogs each averaged 8.0 rpg.
Pass the dish
Assuming that in one cosmic reality, there are two Kiefer Ravenas, one is the scoring gunner and the other the generous passer, he would once again lead another valuable stat category.
As the leader of the Blue Eagles, Ravena can do other things with the ball beside put it through the net.
Ravena, together with another hard-wired scorer, leads the league in assists dishing out 5.1 assists per game.
Sumang has an identical line for the Red Warriors, though “identical” may not be the correct word for their seasons.
Blue Eagles point guard Nico Elorde also shares the ball with Ravena as he dishes out 4.7 assists.
Another hard-wired scorer, Tolomia paces the Tamaraw charge with 3.7 apg while chief Archer Teng has a similar mark.
Princes of thievery
He may be the sheriff, but he will steal from the deputy.
Leading the defense of the struggling University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, fast-paced guard John Sheriff has been making his money picking the pockets of his opponents.
UST’s diminutive general pulls of 1.6 steals per game for the best heist in the UAAP.
Not to be outdone, Ravena once again fills the stat sheets with a good-enough-for-second thieving of 1.4 spg.
Bulldogs big point guard Gelo Alolino leads his pack of canines with a similar line of Ravena’s with 1.4 spg.
University of the Philippines gunner Henry Asilum and UE Red Warriors bomber Gino Jumao-as also has some hands in the defensive end averaging 1.1 spg.
The Wall
Basketball’s most electrifying offensive move is a rim-rattling dunk, and its counterpart in the defensive end is a heart-shattering swat.
And with that said, NU big man once again added another button to his controller, the shot-block button.
Aroga has been the man in the middle, intimidating his opponents with 2.3 blocks per game, and probably more frightened scorers per game.
University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons center Mark Juruena was a defensive bright spot for UP with 1.4 bpg.
Ateneo big man Alfonso Gotladera and UE center Moustapha Arafat had identical averages of 1.3 bpg.
Juruena’s teammate Rey Gallarza also shone defensively for UP with 1.1 bpg and Tigers center Karim Abdul had the same defensive number.