Pioneer foreign UAAP HS hoops MVP Collins Akowe embraces challenge of new FSAs

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Once the lone foreign-student athlete in the UAAP, pioneer non-Filipino boys' basketball MVP Collins Akowe welcomes three more FSAs in Season 87 and the improvement opportunities they bring to him and the game overall

MANILA, Philippines – In 2024, Nigerian center Collins Akowe of Nazareth-NU was the lone foreign student-athlete (FSA) in UAAP boys’ basketball, eventually becoming the first non-Filipino to win the coveted Most Valuable Player award in the division’s history.

This Season 87, the FSA pool has expanded to four with the arrivals of UST’s Racine Kane, UE’s Jean Bana, and La Salle’s Christian Mben, giving more teams much-needed reinforcements for 2025.

While matchups will be a bit tougher for the dominant Akowe, he sees their additions as a litmus test for him to prove himself even more in the UAAP stage.

“It gives me motivation because I know there are other [foreign athletes] this season,” Akowe said. “You know, they are really good athletes, and I just need to stay always ready when I’m facing them.”

Akowe arrived in the Philippines in 2022 at just 17 years old. Growing up in Nigeria, the 6-foot-10 big man first learned to play football before understanding the ins and outs of basketball in 2020.

With his frame coupled with astounding footwork and brute strength, Akowe has been accustomed to seeing double teams even before he touches the ball against less physically imposing high school centers in the country.

Akowe, though, has not shied away from physicality in the Philippines. Instead, he embraced the culture and acclimated himself to the style of play in the country as he closed in on his third year with Nazareth-NU.

“Perhaps there will be some adjustments since there are already imports, because last year, it was just Collins. Now, it is slightly challenging, but at least our edge compared to other imports is he already has experience playing in the UAAP,” Bullpups coach Kevin de Castro said in Filipino.

In his first game this season, Akowe posted 21 points and 26 rebounds against UST’s debuting Kane to lead the Bullpups to a season-opening win.

The 19-year-old followed it up with a 21-point, 21-rebound performance against La Salle-Zobel’s Mben.

Keeping it up, challenging oneself

While his numbers continue to hold up against foreign matchups, Akowe emphasized the need for self-improvement as the season goes by.

“I need to focus on my self-improvement. That’s the first thing,” he said.

“I think I’ve said this before, the imports will give me more matchups, but I think [I can] handle them this season. I just have to continue working on myself,” he said.

Last year, Akowe posted monstrous averages of 17.14 points, 21.07 rebounds, and 2.21 blocks per game, but the Bullpups ultimately fell short of the boys’ basketball championship against the Adamson Junior Falcons — then led by now-NU seniors guard Tebol Garcia — in the finals.

For this season, the Bullpups will continue to lean on Akowe’s dominance, pointing out that he is the only tenured high school import in the country.

“I told him that he has to get this right coming into college. This is the time to enhance his skills…. Besides, we need him,” De Castro said.

With still a lot of games remaining in the season, Akowe seeks consistency and promises to provide statements in each game in their bid to avenge last year’s finals loss.

“We need to continue making statements, every game…. We need to make statements because last season, we fell short,” he said. – Rappler.com