Tigers find spark plug in rookie Andrew Chio

MANILA, Philippines -- With University of Santo Tomas needing a much-needed shot in the arm following a flat start against Far Eastern University Wednesday, the squad turned to Andrew Chio to save the day. 

With UST grasping at straws to solve their first half woes, where the Tigers shot a collective 20% from the field, the rookie Chio sparked the team. 

He scored eight of his 14 points in the first half in a breakout game, helping UST to an 81-69 win over FEU and snap out of a two-game slump. 

With nothing going right for UST in the first half, Chio made three of his four attempts in the first two quarters to keep the Tigers afloat. 

He continued his stellar play in the second half as the rest of his teammates caught on. 

“It's always the step-up mentality. If no one's playing well, then the next guy on the bench can play well. And I think that was me today for the first half, obviously,” Chio told reporters after the game.

“Just my teammates trusting me gives me the confidence, the coaches trusting me gave me the confidence to be able to do what I did today,” he added of his collegiate-best performance thus far. 

The 18-year-old Chio, a former varsity player for Xavier School, has seen just a few minutes early on, but his playing time has ramped up. 

“Yeah, first two games I didn't see the court, so it didn't really affect me, because obviously I know I'm a rookie, I'm 18, but it didn't change my mentality in practice or whatever,” the guard said. 

“I always play with something to prove, just to myself and everyone who's watching me. Even if I'm young, I want to show everyone that I can compete in the UAAP.”

Not bad for somebody who had no offers from any school after graduating from high school. 

Following his exploits in Xavier, Chio made a mark that put him on the radar of the Gilas Youth program, coached by UST’s assistant coach Juno Sauler. 

“It was just when I was fortunate enough to get into the Gilas pool, the U18 Gilas pool, that's when I think I got my exposure, and thankfully UST offered me, and just making the decision to UST for me was quite easy, because like I said a while ago, two of my coaches from Xavier [Japs Cuan and Bam Ledesma] are coaching me now also here, and then Coach Juno was the head coach of Gilas youth,” he said. 

“So I think the systems were not far off, it was exactly the same, and I think UST was the perfect choice for me.” 

Aside from Chio’s 14 points, Mark Llemit led the team with 18 points and 11 rebounds, to go with six assists, a steal and a block. Collins Akowe added 14 markers nd 19 boards, as well as four dimes. 

Chio’s performance put UST at a 3-3 win-loss record heading to the end of the first round. The Tigers will take on the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Saturday in a “home-court” match at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion in Manila.