FILE–Ange Kouame.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Ange Kouame has played for multiple Filipino clubs since turning pro, and even helped steer the Philippines to the Asian Games gold medal last year.
But his upcoming gig with Meralco will be the first time the naturalized big man will be playing on Philippine soil since backstopping the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP where he won three championships.
“I’m pretty excited about the opportunity,” he said of his coming stint with the Bolts in the East Asia Super League (EASL), which gets going next month. “You know, it’s something that popped out of nowhere.
“[So] I’m really blessed to be around these guys—great group, great teammates. I think it’s going to be fun,” he added on Saturday while watching the Bolts dismantle Terrafirma, 124-82, that had Meralco sewing up the No. 2 spot in the PBA Governors’ Cup crossover quarterfinals.
A homecoming
The 6-foot-11 center will have his homecoming of sorts when Meralco hosts the Macau Black Bears on Oct. 2 at Mall of Asia Arena.
A native of the Ivory Coast granted Filipino citizenship to serve the Gilas Pilipinas program back in 2021, Kouame will be a naturalized player for the Bolts and he gives Meralco a formidable trio with returning resident import Allen Durham and former Cleveland Cavaliers guard DJ Kennedy.
A three-time UAAP champion and a former MVP, Kouame is coming off international stints counting one with Strong Group Athletics (SGA) which ruled the last William Jones Cup.
Kouame played through a knee problem in SGA’s title-clincher over Chinese Taipei, but assured that he is back in the pink of health for the Bolts when it shoots for redemption in the EASL.
“I feel great about myself right now,” he said. “Since coming from the Jones Cup, I was really in the gym—every day—and kept working on my legs. The doctor actually reassured me that I’m gonna be fine, that I keep working out. And that’s what I’m doing. I feel healthy, and I can’t wait to step on the court.”
Meralco finished dead last with a 1-5 win-loss mark in the previous edition of the EASL, extending the Filipino teams’ ignominious slide in the Asian meet. San Miguel and TNT have all lost horribly in the showcase that features champion and runner-up teams from neighboring leagues, such as Japan’s B.League and Korean Basketball League. INQ