Rabeh Cometh.

by Migi

The fellow in the picture above isn't former Atlanta Hawks and now Olympiakos cager Josh Childress, neither is it the photograph of a character from the film, "Undercover Brother".

That, dear friends, is a picture of the Ateneo Blue Eagles leading scorer and rebounder, starting center Rabeh Al Hussaini.

And what's more, the guy's a league MVP candidate this year, his 4th in the UAAP.

MVP?

If anyone had told me that big Rabeh was gunning for the MVP plum, say, 2 seasons ago, I would've immediately bet my money on someone with the words, "sure thing" tatooed all over him a little more conspicuously (maybe a Jervy Cruz or a Mark Borboran?). This season, however, Rabeh has exuded a type of confidence in his abilities UAAP fans and pundits alike haven't seen out of him, well, ever. The former PCU high-schooler has averaged close to a double-double- 14.6 points and 9.9 rebounds in 27.6 minutes per game, and has been terrorizing defenses with his solid footwork and soft touch. Ateneo head coach Norman Black was once quoted as saying that he and the rest of the Eagles' coaching staff "always encourages him (Rabeh) to make use of his height", and take advantage of it he has. At 6,7", Rabeh is often the tallest man on the court, and with quickness and nimble feet that perfectly compliment the freakesh athletic ability and impeccable timing of frontcourt mate Nonoy Baclao on the defensive end, the Eagles seem poised to make a strong push towards their first UAAP crown since 2002. The fact that Ateneo has consistent perimeter threats in players like Tiu, Long, and Reyes, plus an inside-outside dynamo in Eric Salamat only helps bolster Rabeh's- and the entire Blue and White's frontcourt, for the matter- impact on a ballgame at both ends of the floor.

In recent years, Ateneo big men have garnered a reputation for being "projects" for a good part of their amateur careers, and beyond. Claiford "Ford" Arao never really got on track until his final year in Loyola Heights, shedding off a considerable amount of weight and developing a low post game that helped catapult Ateneo up the standings in Season 70. In the old days, Blue Eagles center Alex Araneta, who eventually went on to be the #1 overall pick for the Alaska franchise in the PBA in 1992, went onto to have a lackluster career after winning titles with other eventual pros in Jun Reyes, Eric Reyes, Jayvee Gayoso, and Nonoy Chuatico in the UAAP. Rabeh, along with exceptional bigs like Rich Alvarez and Enrico Villanueva, have helped break the mould. With a little luck, we could see Al Hussaini in the pros someday soon, or at least, hoist up a UAAP MVP trophy, and consequently, a UAAP championship trophy for his squad, before then.

A relative who studies in Ateneo told me that she accidentally bumped the hulking Al Hussaini along a corridor one day. All she could say after the incident was, "Golly, that fellow was HUGE".

Indeed, #19 for Ateneo has come up big this season, and is showing no signs of letting up as he and his teammates continue their quest for Philippine amateur basketball immortality.

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