TYPHOON Pedring wrought havoc on the archipelago on Tuesday, but not on the championship aspirations of three-time defending champion Ateneo and Far Eastern University (FEU).

In fact, the coaches of both teams saw the cancelation of Tuesday’s Game Two of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, as rather beneficial to some extent.

For Ateneo, coach Norman Black said it would give Rookie of the Year Kiefer Ravena a few more days for his sprained ankle to heal.

For FEU mentor Bert Flores, the cancellation would give six-foot-four Cameroonian Pipo Nuondou also a few days more for his knee injury to heal completely.

Tuesday’s game was canceled by the UAAP board and it would be played instead on Saturday also at 3 p.m. Tickets for Tuesday’s duel would be honored on Saturday, according to the UAAP and Big Dome officials.

Overall though, Pedring didn’t have that much effect on the two teams’ focus.

“Halos wala namang epekto sa amin ’yung pagka-postpone ng laro kasi pareho pa rin naman ang preparation namin going to Game Two,” Flores told the BusinessMirror.

“Ang maganda lang sa halip na two days, mas mahaba na ngayon ang break at posible makalaro si Pipo [Nuonduo] sa Game Two,” he added.

The six-foot-four Nuonduo has yet to play in the season because of a knee injury but Flores said he might see some minutes along with Christian Sentchu. Flores, however, ruled out the possibility of veteran shooting forward JR Cawaling playing on Saturday.

“Wala na talaga si JR. Pero si Pipo at Christian, puwedeng magbigay sa amin ng quality minutes,” said Flores.

“Gustong-gusto na nga maglaro ng mga bata. Mainit na sila pero sabi ko ganyan talaga, wala tayong magagawa.”

The Tamaraws absorbed an 82-64 loss to Ateneo in Game One.

Black also said the cancelation has little effect on their preparation, except for giving Ravena more time for his his sprained ankle to heal.

“I think it won’t have any bearing on both teams although remember, Kiefer sprained his foot in Game One and will have more time to recover. But he’s ready to go [today],” said Black.

“The board was probably more concerned of the floods in the streets rather continuing the game though I heard the juniors and women’s games pushed through,” Black added. “I think it [decision to postpone the game] is good for the league.”

It was the third time in recent memory that a UAAP men’s finals game was postponed because of a typhoon. In 2006 Game Two of the finals between Ateneo and University of Santo Tomas was called off because of Typhoon Milenyo and in 2009, “Ondoy” forced the cancelation of Game Two between the Blue Eagles and the University of the East Red Warriors.

(Joel Orellana)