‘Desiderio stopper’ Dennison: ‘Kanina umaarte na naman siya, pero di ko siya pinagbigyan’

MANILA, Philippines – Like a rock-paper-scissors game, the FEU Tamaraws beat the UP Fighting Maroons, 78-59, on Sunday, October 1, one game after UP downed defending champion DLSU who had already beat FEU.

From start to finish, FEU clamped down on the streaky Maroons, limiting them to 31% shooting and only 4/19 from three after previously tying the UAAP team threes record with 16. As a result, UP ended up setting the season-low for points, breaking the 65 points set by three other teams for this season.

Only 7 players scored for UP with only two of them breaking double-digits. Surprisingly, team captain Paul Desiderio was not one of them, as he only finished with 9 points and shot 1-of-5 from downtown. 

But perhaps no FEU player is happier with this fact than the alpha Tamaraw, Ron Dennison, who in turn scored 16 points to go along with 7 boards and 3 assists. The notorious bruiser has had a long history with UP’s top Cebuano guard, whom he even called out for flopping after the game: “Depensa lang talaga ako na malinis. Kasi last year di ba naisahan niya ako [sa] flop. Kanina umaarte na naman siya, pero di ko siya pinagbigyan talaga na gagawin niya ulit sa’kin yun.” (“Just clean defense. Last year, he one-upped me with flopping. He was acting again earlier, but I didn’t let him do that to me again.”)

The play Dennison was referring to was his alleged hit to Desiderio’s abdomen in their first round matchup on September 25 last year, where he was slapped with a disqualifying foul and a subsequent one-game suspension.

Dennison gets thrown out for his shot on Desiderio #UAAPSeason79 pic.twitter.com/2baJ2mjfFV

— ABS-CBN Sports (@abscbnsports) September 25, 2016

Despite Desiderio repeatedly insisting that he was hit, replays showed that Dennison may not have really connected with his abdomen at all. Fans sided with Dennison as “UP Acting Maroons” trended on social media. 

Legendary 9-time PBA champion and FEU head coach Olsen Racela also revealed that Desiderio was the focal point of their game plan. “Sa board namin, ilang beses nandun yung pangalan ni Desiderio. Of course, malaking bagay pag meron kang Ron Dennison. Di mo na poproblemahin, iiwan mo na lang sa kanya.” (“On our board, Desiderio’s name popped up numerous times. Of course, it’s a big thing if you have a Ron Dennison. You don’t have to worry and just leave [Desiderio] with him.”) 

“But of course, it’s still not just about Dennison versus Desiderio,” he added. It’s the whole FEU team against Desiderio.” 

When asked what he thinks about being called the “Desiderio Stopper,” Dennison replied, “Nung high school pa kasi [siya] kasama, kaya alam ko na yung mga galaw niya. Kasi teammate ko siya nung high school kami, kaya ayun, pamilyar lang ako sa mga ginagawa niya.” (“We’ve been together since high school so I know his moves. We’re teammates in high school, that’s why I’m familiar with his play style.”) Now leaders of their respective teams, Dennison and Desiderio are both former players of the University of the Visayas in Cebu City, where Dennison also led as captain. 

FEU now claims sole possession of third place in the standings as UP falls to fourth. The Tamaraws will have one more first-round match against contending Adamson Soaring Falcons on Saturday. – Rappler.com