Mason Amos returns to the iconic Ateneo-La Salle rivalry, but this time, he’ll face his former team in green this UAAP Season 88— a twist that adds a whole new layer to one of league’s most storied matchups.
Mason Amos knows the spotlight of the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry burns bright.
For the first time, he will step onto one of collegiate basketball’s most electric stages wearing green.
[ALSO READ: 'I wasn't happy there': Mason Amos breaks silence following his transfer from ADMU to DLSU]
Amid the hype and history of the iconic matchup — impossible to ignore — Amos is treating it as business as usual.
“It’s a rivalry [game], but again… it’s just another game,” the sweet-shooting big man said of DLSU’s upcoming duel with Ateneo, his first against the Blue Eagles in Season 88.
[ALSO READ: DLSU sends FEU reeling to 0-3 start in UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball]
Amos’ shock move from Taft to Katipunan in 2024 became one of the UAAP’s most high-profile transfers in recent memory — a shift no one saw coming except the former Gilas Pilipinas big man.
[ALSO READ: Mason Amos shares key to moving forward with La Salle after UAAP exit from Ateneo]
Still, the 21-year-old former Gilas Pilipinas cager insisted the first Ateneo-La Salle matchup of Season 88 is just another game, at least in terms of its importance.
“It’s an elimination game, and it’s not the playoffs. Whoever is in our way, we need to take care of business and play as hard as we can,” he said.
In their last game against the pesky FEU Tamaraws, Amos and the Green Archers did just that.
[ALSO READ: Doy Dungo subs for injured Kean Baclaan as DLSU Green Archers regain winning ways in UAAP Season 88]
He was one of four DLSU players in double figures, scoring 14 points in a nail-biting 74-72 victory that improved the Taft-based squad’s record to 2-1, tying them with the UST Growling Tigers for third place.
Entering Sunday’s game against Ateneo, DLSU had won its last three meetings with their archrivals — a streak that meant little to Green Archers assistant coach Caloy Garcia.
“It’s nice coming off a win heading into a game against Ateneo, but it’s always back to zero against them. It’s always about pride, and hopefully the players come out and play with pride,” Garcia said.
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Pao Ambat earned his journalism degree from Cavite State University in 2022.
Passionate about sports from a young age, he primarily covers the NBA for One Sports, while also assisting in reporting on the PVL, PBA, UAAP, and other leagues.