MANILA, Philippines – Steve Akomo will make his UAAP debut for the UST Growling Tigers this season. What is unknown to many is that he first tried out for the same team 5 years ago.

Before suiting up for the University of the Visayas (UV) Green Lancers in the CESAFI, Akomo was a just a 17-year-old teenager from Cameroon who came to the Philippines on the invitation of a friend. 

The 6-foot-8 big man tried out for the Tigers and was told to wait for a callback that never came. UST still had Karim Abdul, a 3-time UAAP Mythical Five member, playing until 2015 and Akomo had to go elsewhere to play college ball.

“Actually, I was not choosing where I will play,” Akomo said. “I was looking where I can have an opportunity to play and study because that’s why I’m here in the Philippines.”

Akomo found his first home in the country with UV, helping the Green Lancers reach the finals in 2012 and 2015, and helped them win the championship in 2013 before sitting out 2014 after being demoted briefly to the B-team. However, he lost his eligibility to play in the CESAFI after playing for a commercial league in Manila, which ultimately led him back to UST. 

Change of scenery

Admittedly, Akomo said he found it hard to live in Manila in the first few months. Back in Cebu, he had his own condominium unit and he lived by himself, a luxury he did not experience while being in Manila. 

“Compared to where I’m coming from in Cebu, the life there was not that much hard for me. When I came here, everything changed. The situation changed, the rules changed, the practice changed, the class also changed.”

But Akomo, who has been with UST for a year now, understands that sacrifice is a part of the process that will lead to his goal. 

“I adjust in class, school and practice. Even if it’s tiring, that’s sacrifice, that is the way if you really want to win. If you really want success, you have to sacrifice,” he said. 

After a year of serving his residency, Akomo is expected to make a big impact for the Tigers who crashed to the bottom last season in the UAAP. 

“He is a better rebounder and he has a lot more experience,” said UST head coach Boy Sablan when asked what separates Akomo from William Afoakwah, the Tigers’ former big man. “Sabi ko sa kaniya, you have to accept your role, you have to get those rebounds.” (I told him, you have to accept your role, you have to get those rebounds.)

Statistically, Akomo will provide a better presence in the paint than what Afoakwah brought last season with the Tigers. 

In the Filoil Flying V Premier Preseason Cup last summer, Akomo normed 11.7 boards to land third in the rebounding department. His average of 9.0 defensive rebounds per game, which led the tournament, even tops Afoakwah’s 8.8 rebounding figure last year in the UAAP. 

Akomo is also a more formidable defender. He swatted 16 shots in the Filoil Cup in just 7 games, far better than Afoakwah’s 12 blocks in 11 outings. 

“Magaling siya sa mga blocks e, malakas rumebound tapos kaya niya din umiskor. Kapag magkasabay kami sa loob ng court, syempre lahat sa kaniya magfofocus ng bantay, matutulungan niya ako makakuha ng rebounds,” said UST veteran bigman Jeepy Faundo. (He is good in blocking shots, he is a strong rebounder and he can score as well. When we play together, the defense will definitely focus on him and he can help me get rebounds.)

If there is one thing Akomo has to take care of, it is his turnover rate. Akomo led the Filoil Cup in turnovers with 4.6 per game and he could not afford to do the same in the UAAP, especially since the Tigers were ranked second in turnovers last season with 23.3 per game. 

Not a superstar

After news came out last year that Akomo will play in the UAAP, word started to spread that he would become reigning UAAP MVP Ben Mbala’s ‘stopper’ since the two shared a history back in Cebu.

The two faced each other in 2012 when Akomo’s Green Lancers met Big Ben’s Southwestern University in the CESAFI finals. Mbala and the Cobras eventually won the championship, their first in tournament history. 

But Akomo said that the UAAP is a completely different territory.

“I will not show that, ‘Yes, it’s me who’s really the stopper.’ You just play your game and people will see it. What happened with my friend Ben Mbala in Cebu stays in Cebu. I’m happy to compete against him again.”

“I will not take myself as the super player. You just have to be humble and everything will be fine. It’s more blessing if [the compliments] are coming from the fans,” he added.

Aside from Mbala, Akomo will have a handful of fellow foreign student-athletes to keep his days busy. FEU and Adamson still have Prince Orizu and Papi Sarr, respectively, while UP and NU have both found promising big men in Ibrahim Ouattara and Issa Gaye, respectively. 

“Right now, I’m not pressuring myself because of that. I will just play my game, I will not be intimidated. I really have no intimidation in my life, especially when I’m in the court. I’m ready to compete with them.” – Rappler.com