Troy Rike’s UAAP stint may have been short, but it had its own share of controversies.
That, of course, didn’t sit well with the Growling Tigers, particularly with head coach Aldin Ayo — the NCAA and UAAP champion mentor even said that Rike’s remarks were unfair.
A few months after that, Rike and UST crossed paths once more, this time in the 2019 PBA D-League.
Rike, now playing for the AMA Online Education Titans, faced practically the same team he played against back in October. And the 23-year-old admitted that he got excited in locking horns with them anew.
“I was excited for it to be honest.
“I definitely looked forward to it,” said the former Wake Forest Devil Deacon.
And that apparently lit a fire within Rike and made him play inspired basketball. He shot 6-of-11 from the field en route to 13 points and added nine rebounds and two assists in 32 minutes.
Unfortunately, Rike and the Titans lost, 108-113.
“It just came down on defense. We scored hundred-and-something points, it’s hard to win if you give up one-hundred, thirteen points. We just need to play better defense,” rued the 6-foot-7 slotman from California.
“They played hard, credit them for the win.”
The result had definitely been tough for AMA, but Rike won’t be going home empty-handed, as it looks like he has earned the respect of none other than Ayo with the way he performed.
“Coach Ayo came over and told me nice game after. I really appreciated that.”
