UAAP: Peter Osang makes most of opportunity in UST debut
MANILA – Peter Osang made his case for more playing time with the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers, after he shone in their lopsided 97-70 victory over the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors on Wednesday.
Osang was activated as UST’s foreign student athlete (FSA) in the place of Collins Akowe in the huge win.
The 22-year-old dropped 19 points and 10 rebounds, along with five blocks and two steals in his debut for the España based squad.
Osang downplayed his big scoring output as he vowed to stay ready for the Growling Tigers since he joined them in March 2023 when he was 18 years old.
The Nigerian cager missed out on the FSA slot, since the UAAP only allowed one per university in the previous seasons.
“To me, I just stick with what the coaches told me. And I played. Nothing special. Just played with the team, helped the team, did my job,” Osang said during the post-game press conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“I just focused on the game, focused on the next thing, focused on defense. First of all, I was here to play defense, run with the team. I stayed focused by listening to the coaches,” he added.
UST assistant coach Peter Martin shared why they decided to tap Osang instead of Akowe.
“This is the testament of what we do behind the scenes. Peter was never not a part, he was always a part of the team. We have two FSAs and he’s the other one. It turned out well for today,” he said.
“So he’s going to give us problems in the future to Coach Pido (Jarencio) and the managers and the rest. But we’re so happy with the way he, the way he performed today. And we’re looking forward to maybe giving him another opportunity,” Martin added.
The UST assistant coach explained the decision was part of the matchup with UE.
“The first time we played them, they were running and running, and we said that we needed an FSA who would match the energy. If you remember our first game versus UE, it was a close one. We were up by 25, and then suddenly we just some of the players relaxed,” Martin explained.
“We didn’t want that to happen again, so we know that this guy will give energy to us. And secondly, this is a second game of a three-game stretch. We have Ateneo who’s playing after us. And we have them on Sunday. We want to use whoever FSA we’re going to use for that game to be fresher than if he played a three game stretch,” he said.
UST standout Amiel Acido lauded his teammate for stepping up when the opportunity presented itself, as Osang was the second highest scorer for the team.
“Siyempre unang-una po, very happy ako for Peter. Kasi nakikita ko yung mga pinagtatrabahuan niya eh. Kumbaga, every single day he’s working out. Always present siya sa practice namin,” he said.
“So ‘yun lang, sobrang happy ko kasi nabigyan siya ng opportunity para makapaglaro this season. And ayun ginrab niya naman,” Acido shared.
Acido said Osang’s energy and hustle for the Growling Tigers helped the team push the pace against the Red Warriors.
“Every time na he gets the rebounds, so parang doon kami nagkakaroon ng chance na makuha ‘yung pace na gusto namin. So we’re more of a run-and-gun team kasi talaga. So, we really like pushing the ball, getting early shots. ‘Yun siguro ‘yung mga factor ni Peter on the court,” he said.
Despite not suiting up for UST, Akowe made sure to support the team and guide Osang in his debut for the Growling Tigers.
“We just told me not to pressure myself. Like, I got this. And he’s one of the players in UST I look up to. I know I’ve been in UST before him, but I’m still learning. So, I learned from him. So, I just listened to his advice and applied it in the game as well,” Osang said.
While he’s unsure when he will play again, Osang said he’ll keep on training and working hard for when he gets called up by UST.
“It’s always been like that. I’ll keep on walking, keep on showing up, keep on learning, and staying ready,” he said.
UST will next face Ateneo de Manila University on Sunday still at the Big Dome.