For the second consecutive season, Nigerian center Collins Akowe showcased why he was the driving force behind National University-Nazareth School’s success in the UAAP Season 87 Boys’ Basketball Tournament.
The 19-year-old big man put up another dominant campaign, averaging 20.94 points, 19.28 rebounds, 2.56 assists, and 1.94 blocks per game in Season 87.
However, despite another stellar individual performance, the Bullpups fell short of reclaiming the UAAP boys’ basketball crown.
They eventually bowed to the University of Santo Tomas Tiger Cubs in a grueling three-game finals series.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
It was a familiar heartbreak for Akowe and NUNS, who suffered the same fate in Season 86 when they lost to the Adamson University Baby Falcons in another tightly-contested championship showdown.
Now, the talented center faces a major decision — will he stay with NU’s men’s basketball program to begin his collegiate career, or will he take his talents overseas?
Speculation has been mounting that Akowe will remain with the Bulldogs under head coach Jeff Napa, but in an interview with Tiebreaker Times, he revealed that he has received multiple offers from international programs — far more than from local universities in the Philippines.
“I’m actually mulling offers. I’ll wait for the best one for me because I’m not after whatever. I’m trying to look for the system I’m going to fit in because I don’t want to be a bench player. I just want to fit in the system,” said Akowe, who posted 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting, 24 rebounds, four blocks, and three assists in NUNS’ 83-77 overtime loss to UST in Game 3 of the finals at the Filoil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.
“I’m going to look at the schools and look at the system and see if I would fit in. It’s just about the system for me. There are a lot of schools, especially outside the Philippines. I’ve been hearing rumors and all of that regarding my local offers, but to me, none has come. It’s just offers from overseas.”
Regardless of whether he stays with the Bulldogs or heads abroad, Akowe expressed his deep gratitude to third-year head coach Kevin de Castro for transforming him from a raw talent from Nigeria into one of the brightest stars in Philippine high school basketball.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Under De Castro’s guidance, Akowe became the first-ever foreign student-athlete to win UAAP Boys’ Basketball MVP in Season 86. A year later, he was honored as the inaugural Best Foreign Student-Athlete awardee.
“I wasn’t like this the first time I came here. So I would say kudos to Coach Kevin and the coaches for everything they’ve done. They did everything for me, like I did everything for them too. The way I am today, I give credit to them,” Akowe said.
“Coach Kevin told me, ‘You’ve got to move on. You’ve got to move on to the next phase.’ I have the right mindset. It’s a lesson learned. The mistakes I made in high school — I need to fix them going into college. That’s what I will do. I’ll make sure that in my next chapter, I’ll work on those things, improve my game, and help whatever team I join win.”
