UP, UST clash for early lead

As far as first impressions go, swingman Rhenz Abando and University of Santo Tomas made a spectacular one in their UAAP Season 82 debut on Wednesday.

University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons, on the other hand, showed they were still far from the team that’s tipped to contend for a championship this season even with a victory already under their belts.

The two opening-day winners square off at 4 p.m. on Saturday, with Abando looking to enhance his reputation and the Fighting Maroons trying to sharpen their form at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The first game at 2 p.m. pits debuting National U and Adamson, which dropped its first game to Ateneo, 70-52.

For Growling Tigers coach Aldin Ayo, the great thing about the 6-foot-2 Abando as a player isn’t just his talent, but his insatiable drive to improve his game.

“He’s very talented but he knows what he lacks and he’s committed to working on these weaknesses,” Ayo said of his prized recruit, who had a game-high 22 points in the 95-82 conquest of University of the East.

Ayo said his personnel this season only allows him to play a more up-tempo game with the versatile Abando leading the charge.

“I think everybody knows that we have to run because we’re the smallest team,” Ayo said. “Everybody knows it, the coaches in the UAAP are going to study our system, but I always tell my players to don’t be afraid to commit mistakes.”

UP coach Bo Perasol admits UST’s combination of quickness and aggressive defense can cause his team problems.

“They (UST) are small according to coach Aldin, but they can fool you with the way they play because they can play bigger than what most people think. And they can rebound and defend,” Perasol said. “We have to find a way on how we’ll deal with this kind of aggressive team.”

Even with celebrated recruit Ricci Rivero delivering the highlight play of the season, the Maroons found Far Eastern U a tough nut to crack as they barely escaped with a 61-55 victory.

“I don’t think we were happy at the way we executed so that’s something we have to work on,” Perasol said.