Best UAAP players

The Final Four of Season 82 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament is about to begin and we’re anticipating a barn burner between Far Eastern University (FEU) and University of Santo Tomas (UST), who will figure in a knockout battle tomorrow at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The winner gets to play second seed University of the Philippines (UP), which enjoys a twice-to-beat advantage, while Ateneo de Manila University is already waiting in the best-of-three finals.

But before all the Final Four craze, though, let’s look back at the double-round eliminations and give credit to the players who rose to the top to be the cream of the crop of this season.

Here are my picks for Mythical first, second and third teams of Season 82.

Soulemane Chabi Yo (UST) — The Beninese big man may be undersized compared to other foreign student-athletes, but he has put up huge numbers all season with 16.9 points and 14.7 rebounds per game.

For me, he’s the best all-around frontcourt player in the entire league.

Angelo Kouame (Ateneo) — Ateneo’s amazing Ivorian center continued to shine in his sophomore year with 12.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and a league-leading 3.9 blocks per game.

Ange is crazy good and he still has three more years of eligibility in the UAAP.

Jamie Malonzo (La Salle) — La Salle’s one-and-done framework this season has been much maligned with Malonzo the only one really making any significant impact.

But man, his 15.8 points and 9.9 rebounds per game on top of 43.3 percent three-point shooting make him, for me, the most productive wingman of the season.

Rey Suerte (UE) — What a find by UE in Suerte, who has just been amazing in his lone season in the UAAP.

His 17.6 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game as well as 1.2 steals per game made him one of the most reliable wingmen in Season 82.

LJ Gonzales (FEU) — The former Baby Tamaraw has taken on the leadership mantle in FEU, and he has shone brightly in leading the Tamaraws back into the Final Four.

Gonzales averaged 10.8 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in the eliminations, becoming arguably the finest floor general in the league.

Bright Akhuetie (UP) — The Nigerian slotman has been a force for UP, though he has still not put up the kind of numbers that made him a colossus in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

Still, his 14.3 points, 11.6 rebounds per game and 51.0 percent shooting from the field are anything to scoff at.

Alex Diakhite (UE) — The 6-foot-9 Senegalese center is one of the most imposing bigs in the league, and he was all too happy throwing his weight around, averaging 17.6 points, 13.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game for the Red Warriors, who surprised a lot of people this season.

Kobe Paras (UP) — The once National Basketball Association hopeful still has a long way to go to be the single most dominant force in college basketball, but he’s well on his way.

The 6-foot-6 Paras displayed his all-around skill-set, registering 17.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.2 steals per game at the end of the eliminations.

Thirdy Ravena (Ateneo) — The second-generation superstar didn’t have to put up Most Valuable Player numbers for Ateneo to sweep the eliminations, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a beast.

On the contrary, Ravena still found a way to get his numbers in 14 games — 12.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game for the reigning champions.

Dave Ildefonso (NU) — The former Blue Eaglet is blossoming into a bona fide superstar for the Bulldogs.

The younger Ildefonso was by far the best player for NU with 17.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 triples per game.

Lenda Douanga (Adamson) — This Congolese center didn’t get much attention this season, but he was still quietly very productive for Adamson with 10.9 points, 13.1 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game.

He should be an even stronger force to reckon with next season.

Justine Baltazar (La Salle) — The former NU Bullpup really shone brightly for the Green Archers in Season 82. Baltazar continued to be La Salle’s go-to offensive option, and for the most part, he delivered with averages of 15.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game — the only local big man to register a double-double at the end of the eliminations.

Shaun Ildefonso (NU) — The elder Ildefonso brother backstopped his little bro, and they are the biggest reasons why NU may just be a Final Four contender in Season 83.

Shaun put up 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game in under 20.0 minutes of action per contest.

Simon Camacho (Adamson) — The Bucal National High School product isn’t the biggest name on Adamson’s roster, but he was surely one of their most efficient this season, averaging 7.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game for the Soaring Falcons.

Jun Manzo (UP) — The Cebuano floor general has had his head-scratching moments, but he has generally been a net positive for the Fighting Maroons this season.

Manzo averaged 8.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.3 assists while also shooting 80.0 percent from the line.