MANILA, Philippines — University of Santo Tomas (UST) head coach Boy Sablan gushed about the potential of his young players when he spotted the towering Steve Akomo talking to some people at the patron seats of the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday night.

Sablan just spent about five minutes praising his young core of players — Joco Macasaet, Zach Huang and Regie Basibas — for holding their own against Adamson while he sat down his veterans for apparent misconduct.

The coach said he was merely showing to UST fans a preview of the Tigers' "future," one that Sablan promises will be far better than the 3-10 mark the Tigers currently sport.

Upon spotting Akomo, Sablan's face brightened and his smile widened. "Ayun pa," he said. "'Yung future natin."

"Nakikita niyo? Si Steve Akomo?" he said, pointing to the player. "Ayun si Steve Akomo. Galing UV (University of the Visayas). Kilala ng lahat 'yan. Ipagtanong niyo si Steve Akomo."

"'Yan 'yung isang future na sinasabi ko," he said.

UST drew five years of solid, at times spectacular, play from Cameroonian import Karim Abdul. With Abdul manning the middle, the Tigers reached the finals thrice, only to fall short each time.

Abdul's replacement, William Afoakwah, couldn't play up to his predecessor's standards, but Sablan said UST will dominate the center position again with Akomo in tow.

"I'm being realistic," he said. "Itong import na ito, napakalayo kay Afoakwah.

"Alam ng mga coaches 'yan sa UAAP. Kilala nila 'yan."

• READ: UST's top recruit can help Tigers forget about Season 79

'Happy to be here'

Akomo was unaware that Sablan had started to hype him up, but the 21-year-old transferee doesn't seem to mind the huge expectations being placed on his shoulders for next season.

"Of course, every fan of UST is expecting big things from me," Sablan said.

"I will give my best. I'm being confident, I will just play hard and continue to practice every day.

"I’m happy to be here. I'm happy to experiment with new things because, you know, Cebu and Manila are different things."

Akomo first drew scouts' attention playing center for the UV Green Lancers, where he had a memorable battle with Ben Mbala in the finals of the 2012 Cesafi tournament. Mbala at the time was playing for the Southwestern University Cobras before he moved over to De La Salle University.

Akomo transferred to UST earlier this year and is currently serving his residency period. Akomo will be able to play two years for the Tigers beginning 2017, and he is already looking forward to what they can achieve in his first season with the Espana-based team.

"We better prepare for next year. (We have to) do better than this year. That is the first goal that is in my mind," Akomo said.

"I don't know what will happen and we don't really know what is going to be the result for us next year, but I will do my best. That's it."

Besides the shadow of former Tiger Abdul looming over him, Akomo knows he will be measured against Mbala, too.

Abdul made three Mythical teams by averaging 14.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game. Mbala is currently the anchor of a Green Archers squad touted as the title favorites.

Akomo only smiles and shrugs when asked to describe how he will play.

"People don't know me yet," he said. "Some people know how I play and some people are curious, so they (go to) Google or YouTube. 'Who is Steve Akomo?'"

"I have nothing to hide, you know. I think if somebody wants to know how I play, they must go to YouTube and check it out. They will see what I got, my skills, how I play."

The Ben Mbala matchup

On YouTube, there is a grainy video of Game 5 of the 2012 Cesafi finals, which was won by Mbala's Cobras, 73-72.

"Big Ben" got the better of their matchup at the time and won Finals MVP. SWU's victory helped the Cobras earn a ticket to the Philippine Collegiate Champions League, where Mbala drew the attention of Manila schools.

Akomo said that when he finally gets to face Mbala again, he will not feel any additional pressure.

"I've played against him (before)," he said.

"I never get pressured. The only pressure that I can find is in my mind. It's about myself. I have to pressure myself to be the best, to do good and to help my team. That is the first pressure."

"Another pressure is coming from the coaching staff, coming from the fans, because when you're just new somewhere, you have to prove yourself."

But facing Mbala? "I'm not pressured about it," Akomo said.

The UST recruit doesn't deny the fact that Mbala has improved by leaps and bounds since they last played against each other.

The La Salle center is the runaway leader for Most Valuable Player honors this season, leading La Salle to a 12-1 record in the elimination round with one game to go.

"It's true that he has really developed his basketball (skills)," said Akomo.

"But I know myself and I know Ben well. So hopefully, we'll just enjoy next year's games. We'll just prepare for that."

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