PBA Rookies: The rise, fall and resurrection of ‘Super Ababou’

Barako Bull's Dylan Ababou was hot as he hit his seventh straight basket. By the end of the first half against Ginebra, he already scored 15 points. He didn’t look like he was stopping anytime soon. He hadn’t played this much since the early years of Gilas. Actually, he never attracted this much attention since his days with the UST Growling Tigers.

Instead of being welcomed into the PBA with bright lights and screaming fans, the former UAAP MVP and Gilas member was benched during Barako Bull’s opening game. In true Dylan fashion, he kept quiet. But beneath his silence, the 24-year old rookie felt he deserved more. So when Coach Junel Baculi finally put him on the floor against Ginebra last Friday, he knew he had to win his career back. The beginning “Nagsimula akong maglaro sa bahay tsaka sa kalye," Dylan, who started playing when he was six, remembers. "Tapos sumali ako sa mga ligang kalye, yung mga half-court lang." Dylan's first team was the grade school varsity of Siena College Quezon City. He first tried out when he was in grade 4. He was cut. He tried again the following year and made the squad. He participated in the Small Basketeers of the Philippines where he competed against future teammate Jvee Casio. Dylan stayed with Siena College until high school. When he was in his senior year, he tried out for the U-18 RP Youth team. “Ako yung pang-12 sa team," Dylan, born to a Filipina mom and a Moroccan dad, shares. "Wala na silang nakuha eh." The rise of the “Super Ababou" Even with his stint in the national team, Dylan did not get recruited by college teams. His choice to go to UST wasn’t that much of a choice. “Ang kinukuha talaga ng UST, yung teammate kong si Darryl Bautista," Dylan recalls. "Eh walang kasama sa UST si Darryl kaya sabi niya, ‘Sama ka na lang sa’kin.’" Darryl wasn’t able to continue his basketball career due to multiple injuries. Dylan, on the other hand, was only getting started. He was determined to move from being overlooked to playing like an overachiever. Dylan spent a year in Team B to join the U-18 Asian Games. When he finally suited up for Team A the following season, he showed he was more than a “pahabol." Unfortunately, during his productive rookie year in 2005 where he averaged 7.2 points per game, the UAAP implemented a new rule that the Rookie of the Year should be a player coming straight from high school. Ateneo rookie Jai Reyes won the award. Payback for Dylan came when the Growling Tigers upset the favored Blue Eagles to claim the 2006 UAAP championship. He would also open a new chapter in his career when he tried out for Pilipinas Smart Gilas in 2008. Slowly but surely, he was gaining attention. “After my fourth year sa UAAP, nagpa-try out yung Gilas. Wala na silang makuha so napasok ako sa team," he says. At this point, I’m no longer sure if he’s just being modest or if teams really did not see the potential in this burly, 6’3" guy. A bigger blessing came in 2009. With between the leg dribbles and accurate jumpshots, he won the UAAP Season MVP Award despite heavy competition from eventual Gilas teammates Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Aldrech Ramos. “Dream come true talaga yun, lalo pa ako yung underdog," Dylan, christened "Super Ababou" by UST Coach Pido Jarencio because of super stats, recalls. "Sino ba namang mag-aakalang ‘tong player na ‘to galing Siena makaka-shoot-shoot sa UAAP?" he humbly says. The fall During the first two years of Gilas, Dylan was fielded often as a guard/forward. But with the entry of the PBA and Fil-foreign players, his playing time vanished. “Syempre masama rin loob ko kasi feeling ko I deserve more time," Dylan admits. “Ang masama pa dun, kahit maganda o masama ang nilaro ko, ganun lang palagi ang minutes ko. Except pag mahina yung kalaban, in which case babad ako. Kaso madalas ang nakakalaban namin mas magagaling sa amin eh. Para bang nalimitahan ako na hanggang dito ka na lang." Dylan is quick to say though that he doesn’t hold a grudge against anybody. He remained motivated for the draft which turned out to be another disappointment. The draft Shockingly for some, Allein Maliksi, Ababou's wingman back in college, was picked ahead of Dylan in the Rookie Draft. Allein was an arm’s length away from us so I hushed down my voice when I ask what everybody wanted to ask Dylan since the draft, “Anong pakiramdam na naunahan ka pa ni Allein sa draft?" Dylan smiles. “Nagulat ako," he admits. “Feeling ko dapat mas mataas ako. Pero naiintindihan ko naman kasi dahil nga di enough yung time ko sa Gilas, bumaba ang value ko sa draft. Syempre iniisip nung teams, ‘Eh di naman ginagamit sa Gilas yan eh,'" he continues. However, he is genuinely happy for his friend Allein who was the eighth pick. “Masaya ako para kay Allein," Dylan shares. "Syempre nag-MVP siya sa D-League so tumaas yung value niya. Tsaka natutuwa ako kasi ang dami niyang injuries nung college kaya di siya masyado nakalaro." Dylan still gets a different kind of respect from his former college teammate. In fact, before this interview, Dylan handed a Smart Gilas jersey to Allein. Apparently, the latter’s dad was a fan. But Dylan quipped, “Hindi siya fan! Ako lang kasi ang malapit kay Allein na taga-Gilas kaya sa’kin humingi ng jersey yung daddy niya." The resurrection “Wala naman sa number yan" has been Dylan’s mantra since the rookie draft. Is it a conviction or a consolation? He was the last pick among Gilas players. He was also the only Gilas player benched during his team’s opening game (aside from Casio who’s injured). Dylan's benching remains a mystery. He heard rumors he might be traded. Barako Bull, apparently, thought he was dispensable. But last Friday against Ginebra, Dylan, always overlooked, finally over-delivered. He nailed consecutive three-pointers in the second quarter. He dribbled past defenders like JC Intal like a veteran. He helped Barako lead by as many 20 points. He finished his first ever performance in the PBA with 20 points. "Dylan surprised me," Coach Junel Baculi, possibly astonished by his number 10 pick, said. "I was expecting him to score only 8 to 10. He's an intelligent player and showed that he already fit in our system. Hopefully, with all the attention on him, he could still deliver in our next games," he added. The aftermath After his outstanding PBA debut, Dylan is busy working on his game. His talent is no longer a mystery to PBA fans. His skills will no longer be overlooked by PBA opponents. Suddenly, people talked about Dylan Ababou like he was resurrected from the dead. Super Ababou lives. "Kailangan mas alaga na rin ako sa katawan kasi high level of competition na ‘to eh," Dylan, who wears number 33 because of Scottie Pippen, says. "I need to work harder now." After that, he packs up his bag and grabs lunch with Allein. Although lately often pitted against each other, there really is no bad blood between these two. They belong to the same franchise after all. Besides, wala nga naman sa number yan. Dylan is, and always will be, the “Super Ababou." - OMG, GMA News