As I count the decade by the 200X (some people may have it by 2001-2010 and I think it’s more logical), I shall have the rankings of the UAAP teams this decade just the same as I did with NBA teams in one of my previous blogs. I just hope that no one has done this yet or else I may appear to be a copycat. Although I have to admit that I have gotten this idea from one of John Hollinger’s articles in ESPN.com.
1. Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles
Championships: 3 (2002, 2008, 2009)
Finals Appearances: 6 (2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009)
Final Four Appearances: 10 (2000-2009)
Best Coach: Norman Black
Best Player: (too many to chose from) Enrico Villanueva, Chris Tiu, Rabeh Al-Hussaini
No biases in here. I have already visualized ranking these teams when they were still in the first round of this recently-concluded season. I was so bored lining up in BPI when I thought of this idea. During that time, there were two schools tied with three crowns but the Blue Eagles, should they win their third, will surely be the first because they never missed the Final Four this decade. It was actually a good storyline in the season as Ateneo and FEU were the top contenders. Whoever wins, becomes the first in my list but if both fail to do so, DLSU will reign as the best team of the decade.
The Loyola-based cagers have totally dusted off their dark ages by consistently being a threat to the title. For more than half of the decade, they have been one of the faces of Studio 23. Even if people pegged them as chokers because they lose when it counted the most, I have to say that a 30% chance in the Final Four is not that bad (the average should be 25% anyway). However, all these praises would not exist if the Hail Mary squad did not win their last two championships. I must say that Ateneo finished with a blast. It is quite ironic because some have named them as the squad which starts excellent and ends mediocre (can’t blame them… Ateneo swept first rounds before only to lose steam in the end).
For the Katipunan-based squad, the success story would have to be the recruitment. Each year showed a strong standout from high school. It was just a matter of giving these kids the exposure they needed. I still think that Joel Banal over-utilized his vets in the 2003 season thus causing Ateneo seasons of regret in the next two years. I can’t blame him though because he produced Ateneo their first championship of the decade. The development concern was solved in the Norman Black era as rookies and sophomores were given some playing time. Furthermore, Black has given a huge emphasis on highly fundamental and disciplined basketball – the best formula for winning. Defense catapulted Ateneo to the top by winning the final two years this decade. Thus, we see Ateneo tying up FEU and UST with the most number of collegiate championships at 19. It was a sweet ending for a university that celebrates its 150th anniversary.
As for the best player, this was pretty tough with all the talent that surrounded the championship teams. Ateneo always had balanced scoring in the years they succeed but it always boiled down to their dominant bigs. However, if I were to pick between the three, I will give it to Tiu because he was the best leader Ateneo had. He was not the normal transcending, high-scoring player but the way he has helped in molding the back-to-back team was critical to the success of Ateneo. Also, leadership pretty much symbolizes what Ateneo is for. Furthermore, Chris gets additional points for invoking a very positive image for the youth.
2. De La Salle University Green Archers
Championships: 3 (2000, 2001, 2007)
Finals Appearances: 7 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004*, 2005*, 2007, 2008)
Final Four Appearances: 8 (2000-2003, 2004*, 2005*, 2007, 2008)
Best Coach: Franz Pumaren
Best Player: Ren Ren Ritualo
These asterisks really put in question La Salle’s dominance in this decade. Nevertheless, they are this decade’s most polarizing squad. They plowed the competition at the early stages and they sported a team with a strong swagger. Amidst the antics and the controversies, Franz is the best tactician of this era. They carried on with their strong recruitment in the ‘90s and it featured a talented crop of players that consist of RenRen Ritualo, Mike Cortez, Mac Cardona, Joseph Yeo, Ryan Arana, TY Tang, JV Casio and Rico Maierhoffer. What fueled their success further was the vaunted Green Archer press which rattled their opposition big time.
La Salle happens to be the most controversial team of the decade as well. Rumors surfaced that Mike Cortez sold his game when they lost to their arch-rivals in Game 3 of 2002. There was the Manny Salgado incident. The PEP Test Scandal has forever tainted the image of the school as they fielded ineligible players. Franz Pumaren got heavily criticized when he left the National Team in the middle of the tourney to coach for DLSU in 2008. Nevertheless, the throng of Lasallians continued their unwavering support to their school making them one of the fiercest squads.
Even if DLSU fielded ineligible players (thus the asterisks), I strongly believe that it is the second best team. Their success is just too consistent that it was very hard to believe that they missed out in this year’s Final Four. They will forever be immortalized as the four-peat team that took the league by storm as their system has intimidated their opponents for the whole decade.
Franz Pumaren is the only coach that La Salle had this decade but his success is unmatched by any existing coach. From overall strategy to discipline to the X’s and O’s, Franz excels. His psy war and the way he boosts his team’s momentum in crucial stages has been outstanding.
I chose Ritualo as the King Archer because he was part of the whole four-peat experience. His clutch shooting was simply remarkable. It makes him a legend comparable to how Jordan did it for the Bulls in the sense that he will not let his team lose a championship match.
3. Far Eastern University Tamaraws
Championships: 3 (2003, 2004*, 2005)
Finals Appearances: 4 (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005)
Final Four Appearances: 7 (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009)
Best Coach: Koy Banal
Best Player: Arwind Santos
FEU gets the short end of the stick of the teams that won three championships this decade. The primary reason why they ended up as third in my rankings is that their 2004, no matter how legitimate a championship it was, remains as an asterisk championship as it was not won in the basketball court. Of course, La Salle gets the blame but they paid for it by missing 2006. Furthermore, FEU had fewer finals and final four appearances than DLSU. The recent controversies in game-fixing do not help the team image as well.
Nevertheless, FEU still stands tall and proud as they had the strongest dynasty of the decade (which has the only three-peat in the decade – DLSU’s 4 is cut into two). Arwind Santos anchored the green and gold squad to this grand slam by being a defensive monster as they defeated the two most popular universities – Ateneo and La Salle. FEU was just loaded in both offense and defense; inside and outside in those years as they had amazing talent with Dennis Miranda, Mark Isip, RJ Rizada and Jonas Villanueva. Up to the present date, the Morayta-based university continues to have one of the strongest basketball programs as they never fell further than fifth place. We must also note that they are tied with both Ateneo and UST as the teams with the most basketball collegiate titles. That is dominance.
4. University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers
Championships: 1 (2006)
Finals Appearance: 1 (2006)
Final Four Appearances: 5 (2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009)
Best Coach: Pido Jarencio
Best Player: Jervy Cruz
Champions are remembered. Losers are forgotten. That is the case as to why I ranked UST on top of UE. Despite UE’s consistency since 2002, they never won a title unlike UST which pulled off a Cinderella story to defeat the top-notch Ateneo Blue Eagles. After I experienced three championships this decade, I can fully attest that I would rather have the school eliminated for years but win a championship than see my team fail each year in the playoffs. UST restored the glory that they enjoyed in the ‘90s back to Espana. It made the UST gallery believers again. I can still remember their crowd out-cheering the Ateneans in the Game 3 of the 2006 Finals. A potential dynasty was born then as it featured the dominating and skilled Jervy Cruz, the prolific general Japs Cuan, the hot shooting Jojo Duncil and the crafty wingman Dylan Ababou. After being in the bottom for years, people start to realize that the Growling Tigers circa 2006 were indeed a talented batch. They may have failed the expectations in the years that followed but they have made UST the threat that it was back in the ‘90s.
In my previous articles, I stated that I do not like Pido, the tactician. True. He is not that skilled in the X’s and O’s but the fact that he weaved the magic to put his Alma Mater to the history books is sufficient to crown him as the team’s best coach. Heck, some of the UST players in 2006 played in past years but failed to even reach the Final Four. Pido may not be able to repeat that year’s performance again but he was still able to spark the necessary passion that gave the Goldies the basketball glory again. They currently are tied with Ateneo and FEU for the most collegiate championships at 19.
To be continued…
1. Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles
Championships: 3 (2002, 2008, 2009)
Finals Appearances: 6 (2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2009)
Final Four Appearances: 10 (2000-2009)
Best Coach: Norman Black
Best Player: (too many to chose from) Enrico Villanueva, Chris Tiu, Rabeh Al-Hussaini
No biases in here. I have already visualized ranking these teams when they were still in the first round of this recently-concluded season. I was so bored lining up in BPI when I thought of this idea. During that time, there were two schools tied with three crowns but the Blue Eagles, should they win their third, will surely be the first because they never missed the Final Four this decade. It was actually a good storyline in the season as Ateneo and FEU were the top contenders. Whoever wins, becomes the first in my list but if both fail to do so, DLSU will reign as the best team of the decade.
The Loyola-based cagers have totally dusted off their dark ages by consistently being a threat to the title. For more than half of the decade, they have been one of the faces of Studio 23. Even if people pegged them as chokers because they lose when it counted the most, I have to say that a 30% chance in the Final Four is not that bad (the average should be 25% anyway). However, all these praises would not exist if the Hail Mary squad did not win their last two championships. I must say that Ateneo finished with a blast. It is quite ironic because some have named them as the squad which starts excellent and ends mediocre (can’t blame them… Ateneo swept first rounds before only to lose steam in the end).
For the Katipunan-based squad, the success story would have to be the recruitment. Each year showed a strong standout from high school. It was just a matter of giving these kids the exposure they needed. I still think that Joel Banal over-utilized his vets in the 2003 season thus causing Ateneo seasons of regret in the next two years. I can’t blame him though because he produced Ateneo their first championship of the decade. The development concern was solved in the Norman Black era as rookies and sophomores were given some playing time. Furthermore, Black has given a huge emphasis on highly fundamental and disciplined basketball – the best formula for winning. Defense catapulted Ateneo to the top by winning the final two years this decade. Thus, we see Ateneo tying up FEU and UST with the most number of collegiate championships at 19. It was a sweet ending for a university that celebrates its 150th anniversary.
As for the best player, this was pretty tough with all the talent that surrounded the championship teams. Ateneo always had balanced scoring in the years they succeed but it always boiled down to their dominant bigs. However, if I were to pick between the three, I will give it to Tiu because he was the best leader Ateneo had. He was not the normal transcending, high-scoring player but the way he has helped in molding the back-to-back team was critical to the success of Ateneo. Also, leadership pretty much symbolizes what Ateneo is for. Furthermore, Chris gets additional points for invoking a very positive image for the youth.
2. De La Salle University Green Archers
Championships: 3 (2000, 2001, 2007)
Finals Appearances: 7 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004*, 2005*, 2007, 2008)
Final Four Appearances: 8 (2000-2003, 2004*, 2005*, 2007, 2008)
Best Coach: Franz Pumaren
Best Player: Ren Ren Ritualo
These asterisks really put in question La Salle’s dominance in this decade. Nevertheless, they are this decade’s most polarizing squad. They plowed the competition at the early stages and they sported a team with a strong swagger. Amidst the antics and the controversies, Franz is the best tactician of this era. They carried on with their strong recruitment in the ‘90s and it featured a talented crop of players that consist of RenRen Ritualo, Mike Cortez, Mac Cardona, Joseph Yeo, Ryan Arana, TY Tang, JV Casio and Rico Maierhoffer. What fueled their success further was the vaunted Green Archer press which rattled their opposition big time.
La Salle happens to be the most controversial team of the decade as well. Rumors surfaced that Mike Cortez sold his game when they lost to their arch-rivals in Game 3 of 2002. There was the Manny Salgado incident. The PEP Test Scandal has forever tainted the image of the school as they fielded ineligible players. Franz Pumaren got heavily criticized when he left the National Team in the middle of the tourney to coach for DLSU in 2008. Nevertheless, the throng of Lasallians continued their unwavering support to their school making them one of the fiercest squads.
Even if DLSU fielded ineligible players (thus the asterisks), I strongly believe that it is the second best team. Their success is just too consistent that it was very hard to believe that they missed out in this year’s Final Four. They will forever be immortalized as the four-peat team that took the league by storm as their system has intimidated their opponents for the whole decade.
Franz Pumaren is the only coach that La Salle had this decade but his success is unmatched by any existing coach. From overall strategy to discipline to the X’s and O’s, Franz excels. His psy war and the way he boosts his team’s momentum in crucial stages has been outstanding.
I chose Ritualo as the King Archer because he was part of the whole four-peat experience. His clutch shooting was simply remarkable. It makes him a legend comparable to how Jordan did it for the Bulls in the sense that he will not let his team lose a championship match.
3. Far Eastern University Tamaraws
Championships: 3 (2003, 2004*, 2005)
Finals Appearances: 4 (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005)
Final Four Appearances: 7 (2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009)
Best Coach: Koy Banal
Best Player: Arwind Santos
FEU gets the short end of the stick of the teams that won three championships this decade. The primary reason why they ended up as third in my rankings is that their 2004, no matter how legitimate a championship it was, remains as an asterisk championship as it was not won in the basketball court. Of course, La Salle gets the blame but they paid for it by missing 2006. Furthermore, FEU had fewer finals and final four appearances than DLSU. The recent controversies in game-fixing do not help the team image as well.
Nevertheless, FEU still stands tall and proud as they had the strongest dynasty of the decade (which has the only three-peat in the decade – DLSU’s 4 is cut into two). Arwind Santos anchored the green and gold squad to this grand slam by being a defensive monster as they defeated the two most popular universities – Ateneo and La Salle. FEU was just loaded in both offense and defense; inside and outside in those years as they had amazing talent with Dennis Miranda, Mark Isip, RJ Rizada and Jonas Villanueva. Up to the present date, the Morayta-based university continues to have one of the strongest basketball programs as they never fell further than fifth place. We must also note that they are tied with both Ateneo and UST as the teams with the most basketball collegiate titles. That is dominance.
4. University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers
Championships: 1 (2006)
Finals Appearance: 1 (2006)
Final Four Appearances: 5 (2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009)
Best Coach: Pido Jarencio
Best Player: Jervy Cruz
Champions are remembered. Losers are forgotten. That is the case as to why I ranked UST on top of UE. Despite UE’s consistency since 2002, they never won a title unlike UST which pulled off a Cinderella story to defeat the top-notch Ateneo Blue Eagles. After I experienced three championships this decade, I can fully attest that I would rather have the school eliminated for years but win a championship than see my team fail each year in the playoffs. UST restored the glory that they enjoyed in the ‘90s back to Espana. It made the UST gallery believers again. I can still remember their crowd out-cheering the Ateneans in the Game 3 of the 2006 Finals. A potential dynasty was born then as it featured the dominating and skilled Jervy Cruz, the prolific general Japs Cuan, the hot shooting Jojo Duncil and the crafty wingman Dylan Ababou. After being in the bottom for years, people start to realize that the Growling Tigers circa 2006 were indeed a talented batch. They may have failed the expectations in the years that followed but they have made UST the threat that it was back in the ‘90s.
In my previous articles, I stated that I do not like Pido, the tactician. True. He is not that skilled in the X’s and O’s but the fact that he weaved the magic to put his Alma Mater to the history books is sufficient to crown him as the team’s best coach. Heck, some of the UST players in 2006 played in past years but failed to even reach the Final Four. Pido may not be able to repeat that year’s performance again but he was still able to spark the necessary passion that gave the Goldies the basketball glory again. They currently are tied with Ateneo and FEU for the most collegiate championships at 19.
To be continued…
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