Taking on lead rebounding role for Ateneo energizes Kouame

Ateneo made rebounding of the utmost importance when it went up against University of the East in the UAAP Season 81 men’s basketball tournament.

With a chance to extend their winning streak to three games, the Blue Eagles knew that attaining that goal would boil down to who can control the boards and luckily for them one imposing figure took that mantle.

Angelo Kouame, the Blue Eagles’ lanky 6-foot-10 center, made it his responsibility to become the main force in the glass.

“It kind of fired me up,” said Kouame of his responsibility of controlling the rebounds for the Blue Eagles in their 89-62 win over the Red Warriors Wednesday at Filoil Flying V Center.

Kouame finished with eight points and 15 rebounds, the most of any player in the game, and two blocks as Ateneo improved to a 3-1 record.

Prior to the game against Ateneo, UE averaged 17.67 offensive rebounds-per-game making the Red Warriors the third-best squad under the offensive glass.

Against the Blue Eagles, however, the Red Warriors looked like humble pawns grabbing just nine offensive rebounds while watching Ateneo gobble up 19 misses underneath its respective basket.

Ateneo, overall, outrebounded the Red Warriors 46-27.

“We saw UE’s rebounding especially in its last game and the game before that and I saw [Alvin] Pasaol had a lot of rebounds and that was big,” said Kouame. “The coaches told us to box out and the key to this game was the rebounding in both the offense and defensive ends.”

Pasaol has been nothing short of spectacular for the Red Warriors averaging 24 points, 8.67 rebounds, and 4.33 offensive rebounds in his past three games but got limited to a humbler line of 17 points, eight rebounds, and three offensive boards against the Blue Eagles.

And Pasaol’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed as Kouame made it a point to check UE’s burly star despite the difficulties of that assignment.

“Pasaol,” said Kouame when asked who was the best rebounder from UE. “He played the 4 and I played the 5 and he came from the three-point line so it was really hard to check him before boxing out.”