Cholo Añonuevo may not be putting up the big numbers, but he’s a Swiss Army Knife that’s invaluable to this FEU team.
At a glance, Cholo Añonuevo’s Season 87 averages of 2.0 points, 4.75 rebounds, and 1.75 steals with the FEU Tamaraws are far from eye-popping. But beyond these figures, are glimpses of the former Baby Tamaraw’s all-around brilliance that has helped the young Tamaraws’ cause for Season 87.
Head coach Sean Chambers has long appreciated this fact, often underscoring Añonuevo’s value due to his physical gifts and veteran leadership as a fourth-year player.
So when Añonuevo went down with iliotibial (IT) band injury, Chambers admitted: “Well, to be frank, not having Cholo right now is a big hit to the team…He’s a different kind of athlete, different kind of talent, and that’s a big hit to us right now.”
Añonuevo missed FEU’s last five games in Round 1, before returning to action in their Round 2 win over Adamson. A game later against NU, he would grab six rebounds and two steals in 17 minutes and 10 seconds of play despite going scoreless.
The former Baby Tam also tallied a +10 plus-minus against the Bulldogs, further highlighting his value for the rookie-laden FEU.
“So we played five games without him [Añonuevo] and having him back has been game changing for us just for the little things that he does,” Chambers said after FEU’s 65-58 win over the Bulldogs. “He played at one time the four [power forward], the three [small forward], the two [shooting guard] and the one [point guard] today. So that’s a huge help for us.”
“He didn’t even score but he’s a +10, so I just want to add to that. Cholo’s been tremendous to us,” Chambers said of Añonuevo.
‘Just being that Swiss Army knife’
Añonuevo himself doesn’t mind whatever role he’ll have within FEU. What matters most is him being healthy, along with being impactful in the Tams’ winning aspirations.
“It’s just doing every little things or just being dirty. Just being that Swiss Army knife for the team,” he told The GAME in an exclusive interview. “So I’m grateful that I’m back on the floor with them. It was tough for me in Round 1 just sitting out and at least just trying to hope I can get my groove back.”
Añonuevo collegiate career has been marked by several injuries and missed games for the Tamaraws. The former Baby Tam missed much of Season 84 as a rookie due to a right foot injury, while various injuries limited him to four games last Season 86.
But with a believer in Chambers, Añonuevo is motivated to grow into this more limited, but nonetheless productive role. After all, Chambers has already seen his huge impact despite only averaging 15:56 minutes per game coming off the FEU bench.
“Syempre, I’m used to having the long minutes, but I’ll just do what I can do. But I’m thankful for Coach [Chambers], thankful for everything that’s happened to me and at least I’m back on the floor,” he said.
“It’s a big deal for me [having Chambers as coach] because he gives all the confidence to each player. And for me, he wasn’t rushing me to come back but he just wanted me to play limited minutes and I tried working my butt off trying to get healthy and at least we’re here.”
As one of FEU’s seniors, Añonuevo is also mentoring a bright young core bannered by foreign student athlete Mo Konateh and his FEU-Diliman juniors Veejay Pre and Janrey Pasaol.
In a prior interview with The GAME, Añonuevo admitted how they reignited his love for basketball after losing it due to his injuries. From joining them in practice, the forward has now played four total games with these next-generation Tamaraws.
“It’s fun playing with them, they’re very talented, got a bright future. All of them, all of our rookies, even Mo [Konateh] our import. It’s just a special group of guys and we just wanna bring back the FEU community to our games and syempre bring back FEU to the Final Four as well,” he said.
Añonuevo believes FEU is starting to peak, as players have begun figuring out their roles just like him. The Tams are currently 3-6 for Season 87, with their wins over Adamson and NU showing off this core’s potential.
And as they charge forward, rest assured that Cholo Añonuevo will continue to make an impact as he willingly does the little things for this FEU team.
“We’re not focusing on what’s gonna happen in the future, but we’re just focusing on one game at a time and take it game by game because anything can happen in Round 2,” he said.
Banner image courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.