Rising UAAP stars

Although we’ve already crowned the champions in the men’s and women’s divisions, basketball action of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 81 is still far from over.

That’s because we still have the juniors’ division with three teams emerging as bona fide title contenders —League-leading Nazareth School of National University, reigning champion Ateneo de Manila University and veteran-laden Far Eastern University-Diliman.

As of this writing, the Blue Eaglets are fresh off their eighth win of the season after beating the Junior Fighting Maroons of the University of the Philippines Integrated School.

Several players stepped up big time for Ateneo and that’s what I want to focus here — the top players, not just for the blue and white, but in the entire division.

Here are my picks for the players who have really impressed me this season.

Let’s begin with the current frontrunner in the team standings, NU, a team bannered by Batang Gilas trio of Gerry Abadiano, Terrence Fortea and Carl Tamayo.

Abadiano, in particular, has been practically unstoppable when he puts his head down and barrels into the gut of the defense. Partnering with him to make the backcourt unstoppable is Fortea, a trigger-happy perimeter player who can make opponents slip and slide with his uncanny ball-handling ability.

Tamayo, for his part, has been a strong inside presence, although he has not played in a lot of games as coach Goldwin Monteverde is reserving him for bigger battles at the end of eliminations.

Also doing well for NU is Tamayo’s frontcourt partner, Kevin Quiambao, a 6-foot-6 slotman who provides size, heft and midrange shooting.

Another title contender is FEU, which is banking on veterans RJ Abarrientos and Royce Alforque.

Abarrientos can be described as the James Harden of UAAP Juniors due to his handles and three-point efficiency while Alforque is a spitfire guard who is a good slasher and amazing rebounder.

Another FEU newcomer who has impressed me as well is Cholo Anonuevo from Ireland.

The 6-foot-4 combo guard can jump his way out of the gym and provides energy for the Baby Tamaraws.

Over in San Marcelino, Adamson has a dynamic duo of Jo-Em Sabandal and Ap Manlapaz.

Sabandal is a multi-dimensional threat while Manlapaz is one of the most athletic guys in high school right now.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Sabandal becomes an impact player at the seniors’ level next year while Manlapaz should be a prime prospect as well.

Right below Adamson in the standings is University of Santo Tomas, bannered no doubt by triple-double machine Mark Nonoy and Batang Gilas big man Bismarck Lina.

Nonoy, who hails from Iloilo, is a do-it-all guard who can take over a game by his lonesome.

He will form a terrific twosome with CJ Cansino for the Growling Tigers in the seniors division of Season 82.

Lina, meanwhile, is a bull-strong big man who has all the tools to be successful around the basket. He can score, rebound and block shots with the best of them.

Over in Alabang, the pair of Raven Cortez and Lance Jomalesa has been making waves for the Junior Archers.

Cortez, who has been a mainstay of Batang Gilas since early 2017, has played in only two games, but he has been putting up monster numbers with 13 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks per contest.

Jomalesa, for his part, has been a steady scoring presence for the green and white as he averages a dozen markers and hitting 34 percent from beyond the arc.

For cellar-dwellers University of the East and UPIS, I love the games of Shane Dichoso of UE and Jordi Gomez de Liaño and Ray Allen Torres of UPIS.

Shane and Jordi are great outside bombers who can shoot the lights out of any gym while Torres has been a revelation for coach Paolo Mendoza as their most explosive scoring machine this season.

Of course, I cannot talk about Season 81 without mentioning my beloved Blue Eaglets.

As one of the assistant coaches, I value each member of the team, but some have really stood out in terms of production.

Everyone already knows about Kai Sotto, who is just lording it over any and all opposition, routinely registering 20-10-3 games.

Backing him up is the bombastic backcourt tandem of Forth Padrigao and Ian Espinosa, who are both still in junior high school.

Padrigao is a playmaking wiz while Espinosa has been the epitome of “small but terrible” player.

Some graduating seniors have also shone for Ateneo, with 6-foot-8 Geo Chiu, Jed Diaz, Daniel David and JC Fetalvero having their moments this season.

There are still three game days left before the Final Four, but so many players have already risen and proven that they have the potential to be future stars in Philippine basketball.