UAAP Season 81 Starting 5: Week 3

This list is back.

The Inquirer Sports’ Starting 5 weekly ranking is based on the players’ individual numbers and their respective team’s outcomes during the competition week.

Here are the top players divided into frontcourt and backcourt positions for Week 3.

Frontcourt

Bright Akhuetie (University of the Philippines, center)

There’s still much to be desired about University of the Philippines’ performance this past week.

The Fighting Maroons went 1-1 in their two games, 2-3 overall, but things are still looking rather bright for the State University.

Bright Akhuetie has been nothing short of dominant for UP in Week 3 putting up a couple of double-doubles that will strike the fancy of number geeks.

The 6-foot-8 center a 20-point, 20-rebound double-double in UP’s 69-68 loss to Adamson University and followed that up with a 19-19 one in his team’s 67-61 victory over De La Salle.

Call it any way you can, but Akhuetie’s numbers sure are quirky.

Alvin Pasaol (University of the East, forward)

The winners’ table is finally complete after University of the East notched its first win of the season after a surprise 25-point beating of Far Eastern University, 90-65.

UE’s win snapped its four-game skid and there was no one more responsible for that win than the chunky but downright scary Alvin Pasaol.

FEU had no answer for Pasaol when the Red Warrors’ offensive train put up 25 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and tacked five steals.

UE did lose its first game of the week, 89-62 against Ateneo, but Pasaol still put up solid numbers in the defeat with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Sean Manganti (Adamson University, forward)

Talk about making up for a bad game.

Sean Manganti was utterly miserable for Adamson when it faced University of Santo Tomas the previous week with his 0-point performance sticking out like a sore thumb in the Soaring Falcons 79-71 win.

That terrible outing lit a fire in the lanky forward when he led the Falcons to a perfect 2-0 Week 3 that saw him crush UP’s collective heart with a cold-blooded game-winner for their 69-68 victory.

Manganti finished with 18 points against the Fighting Maroons and he followed that up with a 14-point, four-assist, and two-steal line in their 63-58 win over National University.

Fun fact, Manganti also scored a game-winner in Season 80 against the Fighting Maroons that resulted in a 73-71 Falcons win.

Backcourt

Juan Gomez de Liaño (University of the Philippines, guard)

Sophomore sorrows seem to have kept its distance from Juan Gomez de Liaño.

Season 80’s Rookie of the Year has been balling for UP and this past week saw him continue his stellar play in Season 81.

Gomez de Liaño was crucial for the Fighting Maroons’ 1-1 campaign in Week 3 after he averaged 19 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Jerrick Ahanmisi (Adamson University, guard)

Manganti may be putting up the dramatics for Adamson but Jerrick Ahanmisi was putting up the quiet support for the Soaring Falcons.

Ahanmisi was one of the more consistent scorers for Adamson this past week as he helped guide the Soaring Falcons to a perfect 5-0 record so far in the season.

The lanky shooter has lived up to that consistent label so much that he attempted 24 shots, 12 for each game, while converting 11.

Ahanmisi averaged 13 points for Adamson in its perfect Week 3.

Honorable mentions

Angelo Kouame (Ateneo de Manila University, center)

Angelo Kouame experienced the best of both worlds for Ateneo this past week.

Usually utilized as a defense-first big man who is rarely used in finishing possessions, Kouame showed that he’s more than a one-dimensional player.

Koume had a quiet afternoon during the Blue Eagles’ easy 89-62 win over UE on Wednesday when he put up eight points, 15 rebounds, and two blocks.

Three days later, Kouame turned into one of Ateneo’s offensive weapons after he finished with 20 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks in another Blue Eagles’ 85-53 rout over the Growling Tigers.

Papi Sarr (Adamson University, center)

It’s been pretty much all Adamson three weeks into the season.

Ahanmisi wasn’t the only consistent fellow for the Soaring Falcons during their perfect Week 3 with reliable big man Papi Sarr also pitching in quality numbers.

Sarr’s numbers weren’t as gaudy as the other centers in this list like Akhuetie and Kouame but his stats were still impressive nonetheless.

In the two games Adamson played this week, Sarr had double-doubles in each of those matches where he averaged 11 points and 10.5 rebounds to go along one block.

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TAGS: Alvin Pasaol, Angelo Kouame, Bright Akhuetie, Jerrick Ahanmisi, Juan Gomez de Liano, Papi Sarr, Sean Manganti, Sports, UAAP Season 81