Achie Iñigo has always been an underrated player since donning the Green-and-Gold back in the 75th season of the UAAP.
After a stellar second round performance under former Far Eastern University head coach Bert Flores, the ex-Letran squire has been entrusted with floor general duties under coach Nash Racela for his final two years with the team. In his UAAP career, Iñigo has averaged 4.6 points on 39% shooting from the field and 35% from deep and two assists. Moreover, he started 20 out of the 28 regular season games the Tamaraws played in during the last two seasons.
The 5’9″ floor general was one of the key cogs that led to FEU’s 20th men’s basketball crown. During the 2015 UAAP Men’s Basketball Playoffs, he averaged just 4.8 point and 1.5 assists, but it was the intangible things like his defense and hustle that stood out. During Game Three of the Finals, Iñigo logged in 26 minutes of playing time and helped cool down the hot-shooting of Marvin Lee and Ed Daquioag in key situations.
At the end of the game, Iñigo had been overjoyed that he and his teammates finally secured the long-awaited championship. “Overwhelmed kami! Sobrang pinaghirapan namin ito atsaka since last year gusto na namin mag-champion so inunti-unti namin yung mga problema namin last year and then ngayon, thanks to God nakuha namin ang Championship!”
Every champion at all levels of sport works hard to clinch glory. This championship was no different. Iñigo shared, “Sobrang hirap. Since day one sobrang hirap talaga kasi siyempre mag-aadjust kami offense and defense eh. Talagang pinaghahandaan namin ito.”
Former FEU Tamaraw Ping Exciminiano was awarded a slot in the 2015 PBA All Defensive Team. With that said, it is safe to say Iñigo learned a thing or two from his predecessor on how to defend against taller guards. “Mahirap talaga kasi siyempre ano ako, liit ko tapos sila sina Ed (Daquiaog) babantayan ko so kailangan ko talagang maging tough.”
FEU’s loss to UST in Game 2 triggered a case of potential deja vu for Iñigo and his teammates. In Iñigo’s last-ever game for FEU, he manned the point for the Tamaraws in a silent but effective way. Iñigo may not have been the star of the show, but he left it all on the floor in his final game. “Siguro nung Game Two naisip ko yun kasi Game One nanalo kami then Game Two natalo kami, Game Three talo pero sabi namin, sabi ko sa sarili ko hindi na dapat maulit yun. Ayoko na mag-regret.”
Iñigo is one of six players who have played their last game for FEU. No doubt their UAAP careers had been a roller-coaster ride for all of them, and Inigo is immensely proud that they carried their school to the holy grail in their last-ever game. “Sobrang saya ko kasi siyempre kaming anim, kumbaga kami yung core ng team eh tapos kami yung nagdadala sa iba naming teammates so sobrang saya ko kasi nagperform sila nang maayos.”
Even with the FEU core graduating, Iñigo is still optimistic of future success for his school. “Meron pa naman kaming mga Team B na iaangat tulad ng kapatid ko si Axel, kaya naman nila mag-sustain sa nawala.” One of the Team B players that we might actually see don the Green-and-Gold jersey is his brother, former Adamson Soaring Falcon Axel Iñigo.
