They are ranked first and second in the most valuable player (MVP) race in Season 74 of the UAAP, but Ateneo’s Greg Slaughter and Kiefer Ravena maintain that they are not looking for individual awards.
"The important thing is we are ranked number 1 as a team at the end of the 1st round," Slaughter said.
Slaughter topped the player rankings with 65.1429 statistical points, while Ravena came in second with 62.0000 statistical points.
But their primary concern is leading the Ateneo Blue Eagles to another championship.
"Greg and I aren't looking for individual awards," Ravena said. "We're just playing our best."
For Ravena, their rankings in the MVP standings are a product of their team success.
"It's probably because we're winning, it's a big factor," Ravena said, addingthat they received bonus statistical points for every won game.
"Dadating naman yun (awards) as long as we win," Ravena said.
"Coach Norman (Black) always tells us, as long as we play as a team, we'll win. I'm not really too concerned about being number 1 in the MVP rankings," Slaughter added.
Four times the pressure
After the Blue Eagles swept the first round of the UAAP season, expectations of a four-peat are beginning to get bigger.
"There's always pressure," Slaughter said. "But coming into this season, I had expectations for the four-peat."
"I came in here, hoping to win and expecting to win, and I'm sure my other teammates came in expecting to win, too," Slaughter added.
The 7'0 Slaughter had transferred from the University of the Visayas to Ateneo, where he sat out a one-year residency.
Rare sweep
The dominance of Ateneo has also led to rumblings that the Blue Eagles can sweep the elimination round of the UAAP, giving them a straight path to the Finals.
"Of course, we want to sweep the eliminations, we're in the position already," Ravena admitted.
"But at the same time, we take it one game at a time," he added.
Their plan was almost derailed by the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, whom they faced in their first game of the 2nd round. The Tamaraws led by as much as 16 points in the game.
But the Blue Eagles managed to pull off the win in overtime.
"It's probably a wake-up win for us," Ravena said of their game against FEU. "We don't have time to relax."
"Everyone's gunning for us, everyone wants to beat us," he said.
Ravena added that the Eagles will have a harder time in the 2nd round of the eliminations.
"It's a round that everyone wants to win every game, and every win counts going into the Final Four," he said.
The Blue Eagles can become the first team to book a slot in the Final Four if they win against the University of the East Red Warriors on Thursday.
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