University of Santo Tomas head coach Manu Iñigo had nothing but praise for Senegalese forward Racine Kane, who led the Tiger Cubs to a dominant 98-45 victory over University of the Philippines Integrated School, securing their first win in the UAAP Season 87 High School Boys Basketball tournament on Thursday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre.
After being limited to just eight points on 3-of-15 shooting in his UAAP debut against the NUNS Bullpups, Kane bounced back with an impressive stat line of 19 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, two assists, and one block.
Kane’s stellar performance helped the Tiger Cubs secure the largest margin of victory in the post-pandemic era of UAAP boys basketball.
Iñigo holds Kane to high standards, calling him the best foreign student-athlete in a highly competitive field that includes De La Salle Zobel’s Cameroonian center Christian Mben, University of the East’s Ivorian big man Jean Bana, and reigning MVP Collins Akowe of the NUNS Bullpups.
“First of all, kaya naman namin kinuha si Racine kasi we all know he’s really good, he really fits the system of the team. The first game is really off talaga ‘eh, but we already talked and he knows that we need him,” Iñigo shared with Tiebreaker Times.
“We’ve been telling him that he is the best FSA here in the UAAP, not Akowe. That’s what I’ve been telling him.”
While acknowledging the challenges posed by Akowe in Kane’s debut, the 6-foot-6 forward understood the importance of playing within Iñigo’s system and letting the game come to him in order to achieve success.
The strategy paid off as Kane received strong support from co-captain Kirk Canete, who contributed 15 points, five assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Gilas Youth member Wacky Ludovice also stepped up with 10 points.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“When we played the first game, we thought we could do it, but we knew we had to improve. We played as a team, but the first game was really exciting. That’s why we couldn’t get it done in that game, but right now, Coach Manu said we needed to bounce back, be strong, and play as a team,” Kane explained.
For Kane, fully bouncing back from the opening-day defeat wouldn’t have been possible without the support of his teammates and, most importantly, Coach Iñigo.
A timely pep talk from Iñigo after the Tiger Cubs’ opening game loss helped restore Kane’s confidence and set the tone for UST’s bounce-back performance against UPIS.
“Again, I asked myself, and I know we came together, and Coach Manu talked to me, and that’s why we bounced back,” Kane concluded.
“And everything we know, what we can do. That’s the mindset that Coach Manu is instilling in us. Because I have a good coach, and he knows how I can play, and we have a good system, and I’m good with the system, that’s why I can play with the team and do everything.”
