Tiu and Casio want to leave with a bang

By Jonas Terrado - Manila Bulletin - September 18, 2008

Chris Tiu of Ateneo de Manila and JV Casio of De la Salle are hoping to leave a mark in their final season in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP).

Tiu and Casio are expected to play starring roles when the Eagles and the Archers begin their best-of-three title series on Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Both players are having their best season since they started suiting up in 2003.

Casio, a prized recruit from the San Beda Red Cubs of coach Ato Badolato, began his rookie season with a solid role for the Green Archers. He averaged 9.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists to capture rookie of the year honors.

But he would be remembered a year later when he sank a game-winning triple late that gave the Archers the 2004 championship.

Although the Archers were stripped of that title following an eligibility scandal, Casio continued to improve over the next two seasons. He was named as the co-Finals MVP with Cholo Villanueva last year when La Salle swept University of the East to capture the crown.

This season, Casio had career-highs of 17.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists. He scored a season-high 29 points against Far Eastern University and University of Santo Tomas.

During their playoff with the Tamaraws for the twice-to-beat incentive, Casio poured 10 of his 16 points in the second half to lead the Archers to victory. The performance came after a poor showing against Ateneo the previous game.

"That’s a very good sign of a good player after playing a horrible game and at the end of the day, we completely trust JV," said La Salle coach Franz Pumaren.

On the other hand, Tiu started as a benchwarmer with Ateneo in his first two seasons before spending one year as an exchange student abroad.

In 2006 however, Tiu came back to the team and made a significant role for the team that placed second to University of Santo Tomas in the finals, averaging 11.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists.

Last season, he gradually improved to 12.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists.

The Eagles, however, were ambushed by the Archers in the Final Four.

Tiu’s averages of 14.4 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists were impressive considering Ateneo’s deep and balanced roster composed of Rabeh Al-Hussaini, rookie Ryan Buenafe, Eric Salamat, and Nonoy Baclao among others.

For Ateneo mentor Norman Black, Tiu’s value goes beyond statistics.

"No question he’s our leader whether he’s scoring the basketball or orchestrating our plays or playing defensively," Black said. "He’s our captain, his value is not really determined on how much he scores but more so of his leadership on the court."