THE UST Tiger Cubs have a clear shot at a first Final Four spot in six years, with much-improved wingman CJ Cansino at the helm.
Cansino showed glimpses of his stellar play in the second round of Season 79 and finished the season with an average of 12.8 points per game (ppg) and 6.9 rebounds per game (rpg).
This year, Cansino’s huge improvement is marked by his Season 80 average of 27.25 ppg and 15.62 rpg.
With those numbers, the 6’1” wingman led the Most Valuable Player (MVP) race after the first round of eliminations with 100.57 statistical points (sp), while Ateneo de Manila University behemoth Kai Sotto had 74.43 sp at second place.
“Lahat ng pinaghirapan ko noong offseason, lahat ng pain, lahat ng sakripisyo, lumabas ngayong first round,”Cansino told the Varsitarian.
Cansino has emerged as the team’s main offensive weapon, with Tiger Cubs head coach Chris Cantonjos opting to run crucial plays for him down the stretch and averages 6.4 ppg in the fourth quarter.
“Pinaghahandaan ko ‘yun palagi, mentally and physically. Pina-practice ko ‘yung one-on-one para pag dumating na ‘yung clutch time, may mailalabas ako,” Cansino said.
This season, Cansino recorded career-highs in points and rebounds after exploding with 35 points against the National University Bullpups last Nov. 26 and grabbing 25 boards against the University of the East Junior Warriors last Dec. 16.
Cantonjos commended Cansino for his leadership skillsthat rub off the whole team.
“Makikita mo sa kanya (Cansino) ang isang MVP [dahil] pinapagaling niya ang kanyang mga teammates tsaka dinadala niya ang team,” Cantonjos said.
Before his breakout season, Cansino missed several training sessions after a groin injury he suffered at the tail end of the season in their preparation against UE.
He spent his rehabilitation period doing shooting drills and watching game film to improve his game.
Despite being the MVP frontrunner this season, Cansino is more focused on bringing the Tiger Cubs back to the Final Four.
“Ano naman kung magiging MVP ako kung wala naman ‘yung Final Four. Ang pangit naman kung pangalan ko lang aangat, hindi kasama ‘yung UST,” the Valenzuela native said
Last year, the Tiger Cubs fell short of a Final Four spot after losing to the De La Salle Junior Archers in the playoff game for the fourth seed.
Cansino started his basketball career when he joined the varsity team of Juliever Academy in Valenzuela during his fifth grade. He then joined the basketball team of La Salle – Araneta in his third year.
Now on his final season in the juniors’ division, Cansino is still unsure if he will suit up for the Growling Tigers, but made it clear that he wants to stay.
“Sa sarili ko, ang first option ko talaga ay UST kasi gusting gusto ko talaga maglaro para sa UST,” Cansino said.
