Throughout this season, Jose Rizal University head coach Vergel Meneses never hid his dissatisfaction about how his foreign student-athletes Abdoul Poutouochi and Abdulwahab Abdulrazak had been performing.
Neither Poutouochi and Abdulrazak are averaging double-figures in both the scoring and the rebounding department. Moreover, the Heavy Bombers are second to the last in rebounds this season at 41.1 rebounds per game.
“Kulang pa. Mahirap ako i-sastify,” Meneses said about Poutouochi’s 14 point, 12 rebound outing in a win over the San Beda Red Lions. “I know the capacity of the players.”
“Alam ko ang galing nila. That’s why I keep on telling them. I keep on yelling at them.”
According to the PBA legend, his high barometer of the Cameroonian student-athlete stemmed from a dominant performance by the big man against the Mahindra Enforcers.
“Coach is right because I didn’t bring what I usually bring when I’m playing with my teammates in general,” Poutouochi shared.
“I always find myself in foul trouble. It’s penalizing my team and it’s my playing time that’s having a huge impact on the game and the result.”
Going up against Donald Tankoua, one of the elite big men in the collegiate game today, the Cameroonian made it a point to use his length to lock down his opponent down the stretch.
“Now I’m finding a way to defend clearly because I was always using my hands,” Poutouochi, who had three steals in the game including an excellent swipe with 54 ticks left in the game, said.
“Now I’m learning progressively how to defend better and I’m okay now.”
Entering the second round on a high, JRU’s anchor vows that we will see a change in his game for the betterment of the Heavy Bombers.
“Everything has a beginning. If I get it now and it’s the right time,” he closed. “We still have 10 games to win and it’s still possible that we can make it.”
“From now, until the rest of the tournament, you’re gonna see a different Abdoul.”
