MANILA – A day after being announced as the Most Valuable Player, Ateneo de Manila University’s Ange Kouame officially received his MVP trophy on Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Kouame, who was granted Filipino citizenship in 2021 and plays for Gilas Pilipinas, copped the top individual plum after he averaged 12.86 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 2.07 blocks per game for the Blue Eagles.

In his acceptance speech, the athlete dedicated his award to the Ateneo community and his teammates.

“Thank you to the Ateneo community first. It's been a long year. You guys have always been there. I want to thank my teammates for being there for me every single day -- whenever I am down or up. Whatever we do is for the community, so get it Ateneo,” he said.

Kouame led the Ateneo to a 13-1 card in the elimination round, missing out on a sweep after a slim 84-83 defeat to the University of the Philippines (UP) in their final game.

He is also the first Ateneo player since Kiefer Ravena in 2014 and 2015 to win the top individual honor in the UAAP.

Meanwhile, UP's young big man Carl Tamayo also got his Rookie of the Year trophy after tallying 13.14 points per game and 7.29 rebounds per game in his freshman campaign.

Tamayo will be the first UP player since Juan Gomez de Liaño in Season 80 to take home the top rookie award.

Kouame and Tamayo also joined De La Salle University’s Justine Balthazar and Michael Phillips, and UP's Zavier Lucero in the Mythical Five.

Lucero also received an extra award after being named PSBankable Player of the Season.

After the awarding ceremony, the Fighting Maroons will attempt to close the finals series and win their first title since 1986 when they face defending champion Ateneo at 6 p.m. in Game 2.