Note: This is an old post from my Multiply site last September 7, 2008.
I just came from Araneta after an Ateneo vs. La Salle game and what a game that was! Ateneo sweeps La Salle in a dominating fashion. Not the kind of domination where Ateneo led by double digits all throughout the game but it was dominating in a one-sided way as La Salle never got the lead (the closest they reached was three). It was a sight to see because I am still waiting for the time when Ateneo revenges from the humiliating defeats and season sweep by La Salle on 2005 (my senior year in College). Will this year be it? So far, we are in track but before we predict an Ateneo-La Salle Finals, I will post my analysis on the teams of UAAP as the eliminations recently ended.
Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles (13-1)
Slowly but surely, the Katipunan-based squad swept the second round of eliminations. Ateneo has matched up their best eliminations record in UAAP with their 13-1 win-loss slate. Ever since the Blue Eagles lost to FEU on St. Ignatius Day, the Hail Mary squad has bounced back in strong fashion. They have silenced the critics that stated that they already peaked in their 5-0 start. The Blue Eagles of 2008 are indeed for real. The Adidas sponsorship and the increase of prices on the season tickets were worth it for die-hard fans. If you see a school’s fans wearing shirts (that show support to the school’s basketball team) outnumber their opponents in a non-bearing game, you know that they are all worth the investment. Ateneo’s rally to beat all the opposition in the second round shows that they are really hungry to get the title this year. Norman Black ensured that his squad will not lose easy games this year by beating last year’s nightmare – NU. Ateneo even won a game that ‘did not matter’ against the school to which the ‘game matters a lot.’ Talk about attitude and toughness. That is how you smack your archrivals after they proudly proclaimed that they won the games that matter last year. Well, guess what, you guys (Lasallites) just lost the game that matter this year. Payback is a bitch.
What then makes Team Ateneo for real? The same as before: DEFENSE. Ateneo has thrived with their fundamental D down low as opponents find a hard time of scoring by slashing or low post scoring. One name shines in this department: Nonoy Baclao. Nonoy’s superb shotblocking has discouraged opponents from pounding it down low. Add to that the effect of the strong reaction by the Sixth Man on every swats, the opponents are surely demoralized as they try to alter their shots on the next possessions giving them ugly field goal percentages. With Nonoy’s great timing and reaction, I believe he is a better shotblocker than Japeth Aguilar. But, is it all Nonoy? Ladies and gentlemen, Rabeh Al Hussaini has impressed me after being a slouch inside in the first round. This guy’s development has vastly increased as he has strongly defied the opposition offensively and defensively. gRABEH!
Ateneo duplicated its first round strengths in the second round. This fundamental team just proved that old school way of play is still the way to go. You can have bad days in offense but never on defense. Ateneo just showed its defensive dominance on their game against UE. The Blue Eagles shot badly and they turned the ball horribly but they emerged winning the game because they also made UE suffer offensively in order for them to have a chance of winning the game. What beat the Red Warriors? Ironically, it was Ateneo’s three-point sniping ability. Chris Tiu and Ryan Buenafe combined with four triples in the final five minutes of regulation to force the game to overtime. Ateneo just eliminated its weakness in the first round by raining from downtown as they made UST, La Salle and FEU for relying on the zone defense to stop Ateneo’s offense.
If there is one player I would like to commend in the second round, that would have to be Rabeh Al-Hussaini. He has been dominating and is the main reason for the Eagles’ dominant record. Rabeh for MVP!
With this, we ask, have the Blue Eagles peaked? I think they are peaking at the right time. As long as they beat UE in their very first game, Team Ateneo continues to peak. They have been incredibly hitting on all cylinders. Their last eliminations game is a testament that they are still improving. Look, Chris Tiu did not even have to score a lot for the Blue Eagles to pound the Green Archers!
But then, Team Ateneo has not yet achieved anything but a school record. Like I stated in my last Multiply blog post, they are just putting themselves into a better position to win. Nothing of the past has been redeemed by Team Ateneo’s Redeem Team. They need to be the best in the big games before we can say that the Blue Eagles are the best. This year’s version has shown composure, confidence and determination to win as they have been relentless in the eliminations but sadly, the eliminations is just the eliminations. We may have dominated La Salle awhile ago and it gives as the temporary bragging license but still, the bragging rights belong La Salle as they are the defending champions.
If Ateneo manages to win this year’s crown, I can safely say that they earned it fully. The non-bearing game win against La Salle will contribute to a more difficult Final Four for the Green Archers.
De La Salle University Green Archers (10-4)
La Salle is currently tied in second place with the FEU Tamaraws and they will battle it out in a best-of-three series. The Green Archers could have been in a better position if they won against Ateneo in their last game. The twice-to-beat advantage is theirs for the taking but their archrivals just added clawed them back to earth. Losing to their archrival is also another possible reason for them to lose some morale against FEU. Although, they might come out strong. Franz always bounces back in a strong way.
So far, La Salle’s 2nd round showing is like a mirror of their 1st round performance – you just swap UE’s defeat to FEU’s defeat. Although, La Salle’s second round showing was not that impressive. They won without Coach Franz Pumaren but they also lost some swagger when Adamson was able to put them in danger of losing. Had it not been for questionable calls against Adamson, La Salle would have lost it. They also got lucky against UST with Maui Villanueva’s last second shot. FEU and Ateneo defeated them convincingly. They had to endure an NU big lead in the first half of their game. La Salle was able to pull through but it was because of JVee Casio. J-Shock showed that he is the heart and soul of this team as he rallied to win games for the Green Archers. However, the problem is, their promising bench in the first round is getting a bit inconsistent in the second round as Casio has been singlehandedly carrying his team to win games. He resembles LA Tenorio of 2005 when Ateneo had a scarcity of talent. La Salle lives with their system but if they do not have the necessary talent, they will be kissing their repeat hopes goodbye. JVee Casio cannot do it all for this team. We already saw the outcome of Tenorio’s season then. The Archers might have a better chance but their gameplay against Ateneo awhile ago showed that they live and die by JVee. I think he will bounce back in case they get a chance to face the Blue squad again but I do not know if that is sufficient. Nevertheless, the Taft guys are still the defending champions and Franz Pumaren is an excellent coach so I can never really say that they are out of the game.
Have the Green Archers peaked when they had their 5-0 run in the eliminations? Possibly. However, that does not change my mind of predicting them as the likely champions of 2008. There is a chance that they are saving the best for last. Also, they are far from dead – a sweep on FEU would surely bring momentum to the green side of things.
Far Eastern University Tamaraws (10-4)
The Morayta-based squad is this year’s Madrama team. They have been part of several controversies and they have a knack of dealing with them with strong emotions as they win games by coming back. I was about to brand them as this year’s version of Ateneo Blue Eagles batch 2004 when Mac Baracael was shot but seeing that they are more of a dominant squad than that year’s Blue Eagles, I dismissed my thoughts. Nevertheless, there were similarities. FEU lost Mac Baracael and had a winning streak that featured them beating the #1 seed Blue Eagles. Ateneo then lost Larry Fonacier to ACL and had a 1st round sweep. FEU excelled by rallying in the 4th quarter. Ateneo then was an awesome come-from-behind team engineered by LA Tenorio’s step-back three pointers. That was why I began shouting “PUSO!” to Team Ateneo then. Coincidentally, both teams face/d La Salle in a best-of-three series in the Final Four. The difference is, FEU this year is more balanced and they have proved that they can win convincingly without Mac Baracael without thriving that much on emotions when they defeated La Salle. However, FEU is starting to lose some swagger when they have lost to UE last Thursday. I have a feeling that the Law of Averages will soon catch up on them as they have been too lucky in winning most of their games by coming from behind. Will the Rally Monkey be there for them to beat La Salle in the playoffs or are my feelings on the FEU squad true?
But then, this is life – there is no such thing as ”you have 3 credits for Lady Luck.” We do not know if FEU will still be lucky in the future. But if you ask me personally, I want them to get unlucky at the ending stretch of this season. Why? No offense to FEU fans but I really want Ateneo to be the champions this year because I believe that FEU is really a great young team. I see them duelling it with Ateneo for the number 1 spot in the next few years. If they are going to be the champs this year, then it would be demoralizing to dream that we could be champions because FEU is just starting to get stronger as their next Fil-foreigner will play next year. If they can be champions without that import, what more when they have that guy?
Why is FEU successful thus far? Wingmen mismatch. If you have tall wingmen, that usually equates to mismatch on offense and defense. That was what Ateneo had in 2002 (with Wesley Gonzales and Larry Fonacier) that helped them in their bid to win the crown. UST is touted to be a strong team because they have Dylan Ababou and Francis Allera for the wingman mismatch how much more for FEU with guys like Cawaling, Ramos, Fernandez in the mix? Their big men are also versatile a la Dirk Nowitzki style. They can gun it from downtown to kill the zone defense. This is the primary reason why Ateneo is having a hard time facing this squad. Also, I have to note of the emergence of sophomore Mark Barocca who has been very impressive lately especially when he torched the Green Archers in their 2nd Round game.
University of the East Red Warriors (9-5)
Say hello to UAAP’s most aggressive and physically conditioned team. This team can run the full court press forty minutes as they are composed of athletic players that suit up well with Dindo Pumaren’s rotation. Even though they were branded to be weaker than UST (making Ateneans to wish to battle them), I think they are still deadly. Why? They can try to tire the Blue Eagles’ starting unit with their relentless trapping defense. As we have all observed, Ateneo is weak in its second unit (excluding Eric Salamat). However, these high-jumping, agile guys still have one major problem: They don’t have a legitimate big. Yes, they can match up in rebounding but there are some intangible aspects tall centers have – their interior presence and their ability to easily score at the low post. You will see the better picture of this once you watch the Ateneo vs. UE 2nd round game.
The UE Red Warriors this year are not like the UE Red Warriors of last year. They were the sweeping team the year before and they are suddenly hanging from the Final Four cliff. Nevertheless, they were still able to defeat the other takers to the last spot – UST Growling Tigers. Furthermore, they are peaking at the right time this year. They defeated FEU in a non-bearing game to signal to the Blue Eagles that the UE Red Warriors are not going to be an easy prey. Dindo could have learned from his elder brother and graduating Warriors like Marcy Arellano are going to make a strong case to win the crown this year. UE has been known to be perennial Final Four chokers in the past years as they have been known to lose twice-to-beat advantages. I was not even watching UAAP when UE scored their lone playoff win (on a war they eventually lost since they did not have the twice-to-beat advantage).
Will the Red Warriors break the jinx and bring back the glory to their school?
We shall see that if Marcy Arellano and his companions make the basketball court their playground like what they did when they mounted big leads against UST and FEU. If James Martinez continues to shoot superbly from downtown, they have a chance. We should also note of the emergence of Paul Zamar in the second round of this season. He has played exceptionally in the past few weeks. Not bad for a first year player. But if UE is to win it all, I think it has to go through Marcy Arellano. This silent gunner has been disappointing for certain stretches of the season. But if he is able to contribute in a big way, UE has a high chance of winning. Case in point: UE’s obliteration of UP with their 30-point win. The problem with Marcy is, he has been a big name ever since his rookie of the year days that is why he has always been checked by the opposition’s guards.
University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers (6-8)
No offense to the UST fans, but whenever I see the Growling Tigers lose to a Top Four team this season, the advertisement of Accenture pops up to my mind with these lines: “UST lost... Another day in the office for the Tigers.” As much as Tiger Woods is consistent in golf, the UST Growling Tigers have been consistent in losing to the Final Four teams. Yes, they had lots of games that went down the wire and they had the chance of winning them. However, they still lost. A loss is a loss just like a win is a win no matter how large or small the deficit is. I have watched all the heartbreaking losses of the UST Growling Tigers and amidst these games having a classic feel, I think they really deserved to lose in each of those games.
Let us dissect each of those games. Round 2 battle with FEU. UST begins the fourth quarter with a large lead. Everything seems safe in Espana until the Morayta ‘Rally Monkey’ team barges with their fourth quarter magic. By the end of regulation, we suddenly have a ballgame as we headed into the overtime. UST had the chance to win the game but Dylan Ababou missed two crucial freethrows. FEU won the game eventually. Why did they lose this game? I think the reason would be coaching miscues. Jervy Cruz and Dylan Ababou were fielded in the early minutes of the fourth quarter. By the time the Growling Tigers need the help of their main men in the crucial stages, the two cannot deliver anymore. Coach Pido should have taken note that FEU will try to make a run as they normally do so he should have managed the playing minutes of his star effectively. Another miscue then was when he fielded rookie Jeric Fortuna in the last minutes of the game. That same guy contributed to the loss in their first battle with the Tamaraws and he still gets the privilege to choke again?
Next up: Round 2 game with La Salle. The Tigers and the Archers had this classic showdown of their main men as Jervy Cruz and JVee Casio showed each other that they are for real. However, JVee Casio seemed to get the upper hand of it when he led La Salle to have a good lead going to the final minutes. This game appeared to be a sure La Salle win with just a minute remaining but the Growling Tigers kept fighting back. I was surprised when they were able to tie the game with just a few seconds remaining. Then, the blunder occurred. Coach Pido called a timeout right after the Growling Tigers scored for the tie. It is a necessity to call one if you are on the offensive side because you have the control of the ball and you can set up for one last play but if you are on defense, you are basically doing your opponent a favour to set up that one last play. Forget about La Salle’s backup Coach Jack Santiago’s rattled coaching. The timeout was enough for the players to settle down and think of how to win the game themselves. The game ended, sadly for the Tigers, in regulation as LA Revilla was able to run the ball to their court just in time for the Maui Villanueva game-winning putback.
Two heartbreaking losses with a lot of ‘what ifs’ attached for the Growling Tigers. The last painful loss to La Salle seemed disheartening to them as they got rampaged early by the UE Red Warriors. It was Marcy’s playground in the first thirty minutes of that game as UST’s season seemed over with the huge 24-point deficit the UE Red Warriors worked hard for. UE was clicking on all cylinders and UST, instead of fighting back, was left to suffer bigger deficits. What happened to Coach Pido’s emotional coaching? He should be firing up his team when they need it the most. Coach Pido’s last stand was at hand. He questioned a referee’s bad call in the middle of the fourth quarter when the Growling Tigers were slowly but surely, creeping up. This forced the referee to call a technical foul and throw Pido out of the game. I don’t know with everyone else, but for all the blunders Coach Pido had in the past games, I think this one redeemed him in a way because for what it’s worth he is more of a motivational coach than a systematic one and having himself thrown out of the game suited his coaching style. It fired up the emotions of his team as the 2006 defending champs rally from 24 to cut the lead down to 1 in the last thirty plus seconds of the game. Funny thing was, Coach Pido left his team without a timeout to regroup themselves in that final seconds. UE was already rattled and UST, by all means, had an incredible comeback. Here we go again: the Growling Tigers are given a chance to win or at least tie the game before they settle things out in overtime. However, their momentum of shooting threes carried on up to the last seconds of the game. Instead of going for the easy two – man, they have Jervy Cruz!!! – they went for the three-point shots. They fell in love so much with their triples that it was easy for UE to decipher UST’s offensive game plan. Rookie Clark Bautista hurried a contested three point shot even if UE was just leading by 1. He missed. UE got the possession and was fouled. The UE shooter choked his first freethrow attempt but was able to make the second. Still, it is just a two point lead. UST can still go for the tie. Jervy Cruz, anyone? He is your main guy! Francis Allera has the ball. Then, something whispered in his mind, “Go for the game winner. You will surely be loved by your school for being the hero.” He attempts a three and misses it. UE gets the rebound and gets fouled. I was ranting heavily in front of my TV set because of UST’s undisciplined gameplay. Just a two point shot for Christ’s sake! UST got lucky when Espiritu missed both freethrows. Still a two-point lead. Guys, this is your third chance! You should have learned from the first two botched attempts. Pass it to Jervy Cruz. Win or die by your best guy in the court. Sadly, the Growling Tigers forgot all about their best guy. Everybody just wanted to be a hero when they went for another three-point shot. It missed and the game was over. The season was over for UST.
That ends the ‘could have been a dynasty’ for the UST Growling Tigers. After they won the 2006 title, everybody was scared of UST because they have the right ingredients to form a dynasty. They’ve got the best big man in the league in Jervy Cruz. They have a tall and speedy wingman in Dylan Ababou. He will surely provide mismatches. They even have an excellent on-court general in Japs Cuan. Pundits have been stating that UST has the best lineup in paper this season but they failed to even win a game against weaker lineups in paper like La Salle and UE. I guess Coach Pido Jarencio is starting to be a one-trick pony after the 2006 season. What lies ahead for the Growling Tigers? I do not know. They will surely be a weaker team next year because of the departure of critical players like Jervy Cruz, Japs Cuan and Francis Allera. But for what it’s worth, they were still able to win a crown for the team. The Thomasians should be proud of them. Underachieving this year, but they were able to bring the glory back to Espana.
University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons (3-11)
From a winless season, the UP Fighting Maroons improved their reputation this year by winning three games and sweeping Adamson Falcons in a convincing manner. I once touted this team to be weak at heart but since they have owned Adamson in a big way in their second round encounter, I have to say that they have redeemed their school’s glory (no matter how little they redeemed) in line for their 100th anniversary. All I can say is, congratulations to them. I felt glad for them when they raised a banner stating “Isang Daang Salamat Po” in their final game against UST. The team may still be weak at paper but they have learned to gain some toughness and fight back. Jay Agbayani has never been this determined ever. His screams after scoring inside shows that he really wants to win it for his team. Mark Lopez has developed to be a better player as he is starting to match his marketability during his HS days in FEU. Martin Reyes, with his Allan Caidic-esque shooting arm, has shown flashes of brilliance this season. For what it’s worth, this young UP team has a chance to rebuild and be better next season. Who knows? They might steal a playoff spot next year as UST and UE will be weaker with the departure of their main players.
Adamson University Soaring Falcons (3-11)
You have to give it to Coach Leo Austria. This year’s version of Adamson was weaker in paper as compared to last year’s Adamson. They lost Cabahug and Hugnatan from last year. What Coach Leo could do was to make over what is left for this team. Although they just notched one win in the second round, I think Adamson still fought for glory. They almost beat the defending champions La Salle Green Archers and they made a statement by beating NU so that they will not be the cellar dwellers this season. Without Coach Leo to direct his weak team, I don’t think Adamson would have won a single game this season. The Adamson Falcons need their coach next year because I am sure he is going to develop the mental toughness of his players. Remember the benching of his key players in the UP game as a disciplinary action? That is what coaches need to enforce to their players. You do not let your players build up big egos and babyfeed them all the way. What Adamson currently lacks is mental toughness (that was why they did not beat La Salle then). They need it for years to come. With Coach Austria at the helm, we might see the day when Adamson deals their first win in several years against Ateneo.
National University Bulldogs (2-12)
It was a disappointing end for Edwin Asoro’s UAAP career. This one man powerhouse did not deliver a better win-loss record for his school this season. There was the usual NU upset that his team manufactured when they dealt FEU’s second loss in the first round. After which, they have done nothing spectacular other than beating the lowly Maroons at the start of the second round. They tried their best to repeat last year’s upset on Ateneo but the Blue Eagles showed that they are a much composed team this year as NU’s attempt to disrupt the Eagles’ toughness by shoving hard and unsportsmanlike fouls on them have not been sufficient to rattle the best in the elims. NU also had the hand of beating FEU but they failed because Asoro’s strong play was inconsistent. This team will soon lose some of their better players in Asoro and Janhke at the end of this year. Will they still remain a team that lives by upsetting the stronger teams or will they be a doormat team next season? Will they finally emerge a threat? For next year, I do not think so but given that Henry Sy aims to improve this school’s calibre, we might see NU gunning it out with the top teams in the next few years.
Most Valuable Player: Rabeh Al-Hussaini (Ateneo)
Runner-Up: Chris Tiu (Ateneo)
Mythical Five:
Rabeh Al-Hussaini (Ateneo)
Jervy Cruz (UST)
Chris Tiu (Ateneo)
JVee Casio (DLSU)
Rico Maierhoffer (DLSU)
Second Mythical Five:
Dylan Ababou (UST)
Nonoy Baclao (Ateneo)
Mark Barocca (FEU)
Benedict Fernandez (FEU)
Edwin Asoro (NU)
Most Improved Player: Rabeh Al-Hussaini (Ateneo)
Rookie of the Year: Ryan Buenafe (Ateneo)
Best Defensive Player: Nonoy Baclao (Ateneo)
Sixth Man: Rico Maierhoffer (DLSU)
That’s it. Sorry for just providing few inputs on some teams. The season is pretty much over for most of them so there is nothing more to analyze and improve on. As for the Final Four, I cannot really say which team will emerge to be the King of Season 71. The Ateneo Blue Eagles are poised to be but we cannot really be sure because they are going to face a strong opposition from the UE Red Warriors. Remember, this team is as hungry as the Blue Eagles are. They just came from a humiliating sweep in the Finals last year after sweeping the Eliminations Round. Also, they are peaking at the right time (although, this is not done convincingly). Ateneo is clicking in all cylinders lately but we have yet to see as to how they play in the big games. As for La Salle, they have a weaker team this year but Coach Franz’s system is able to deliver them to the playoffs. We must note that Franz’s La Salle championship teams do not normally become the #1 team in the eliminations. They just master the art of finishing big when it counts. But, confident Archer fans should take note that FEU is not a team that would just roll over and die. This team has got the spunk to fight it out and never say die against any of the top four teams. Remember that they own the win of the lone defeat of Ateneo. I once wrote them out of the competition but they have proved that they are for real. I think that FEU and La Salle’s best-of-three series would be critical. If it goes to the maximum of three games, the winner of it will have a hard time against the winner of the Ateneo-UE series especially if the victor of the former did it in a sweep (Ateneo by not losing a game or UE by winning the two games). The reason for such is fatigue and the momentum. As clearly shown in the ending of the eliminations, both Ateneo and UE ended it with signs of peaking. But then again, the ball is round so we do not know which team would prevail. I am hoping Ateneo gets it this year. Go Ateneo! One Big Fight!
Some Notes on Season 71
Rabeh Al-Hussaini should bag this year’s MVP trophy. Jervy Cruz might have superior stats but his stats are non-bearing if these did not equate into wins against the better teams. Stats-wise, Rabeh has been consistent. He has been the reason why Ateneo has been dominating thus far. But still, Captain Chris is still the heart and soul of this team. When the going gets tough or when the Blue Eagles need to make the crucial shots, Chris Tiu has always been bailing them out. The second round game against UE is the full testament of that. Also, Chris Tiu provides leadership qualities no other UAAP player can surpass this season. He does not need to score often but he makes crucial plays. His aura when he plays is sometimes enough because the team always gets better when he is on the court. I would like both Rabeh and Chris to win the MVP plum this year. I am sorry to those rooting for Jervy Cruz and JVee Casio. I just do not think that those two should win the MVP title. Jervy’s team did not reach the Final Four whereas JVee Casio’s statistics ain’t sufficient. If one would argue about the intangibles that he has provided to his team, why not Chris Tiu? Chris Tiu is more clutch and has better leadership qualities than JVee. Tiu even beats Casio on statistics because Chris rebounds better. Ateneo’s record is way better than La Salle’s in the eliminations. It would be sweet to see both Chris and Rabeh to bag the MVP awards but if I were to choose among the two, I will give it to Rabeh due to his consistency and statistics.
This season’s programming has become horrible. Blame it on having too many sponsors. They sacrificed the games by having instant replays shown on every deadball. The problem is, there are times when there are already interesting actions occurring and Studio 23 is still showing the instant replays. They should decrease the frequency and save the instant replays for the big plays. They have all the replays for everything – rebounds, three-point shots, turnovers, fastbreaks, and big plays. There were even times when the game play has started but Studio 23 is still showing commercials. Bloopers are also evident. The team names that would be shown on the screens are sometimes wrong. I have nothing against having too many sponsors, but they should have coordinated it with the game officials better so that they would minimize cutting important parts of the games.
The commentating is not that great as well. I have heard some of their sportscasters make several mistakes in calling the players’ names. I am not going to name names but it is really bad especially if the commentator invents terms that do not sound right. I suddenly miss quality sportscasting by Sev Sarmenta. Courtside reporting is not exceptional as well. One of the top notch reporters this season is La Salle’s Sharon Yu. She’s beautiful and all but her reports get dragging. As for others, I am not that impressed. It is decent but it is not exceptional.
Nevertheless, it has been a great season. I am looking forward for more action in the Final Four and the Finals. May the best team prevail. Go Ateneo! One Big Fight! PUSO!
I just came from Araneta after an Ateneo vs. La Salle game and what a game that was! Ateneo sweeps La Salle in a dominating fashion. Not the kind of domination where Ateneo led by double digits all throughout the game but it was dominating in a one-sided way as La Salle never got the lead (the closest they reached was three). It was a sight to see because I am still waiting for the time when Ateneo revenges from the humiliating defeats and season sweep by La Salle on 2005 (my senior year in College). Will this year be it? So far, we are in track but before we predict an Ateneo-La Salle Finals, I will post my analysis on the teams of UAAP as the eliminations recently ended.
Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles (13-1)
Slowly but surely, the Katipunan-based squad swept the second round of eliminations. Ateneo has matched up their best eliminations record in UAAP with their 13-1 win-loss slate. Ever since the Blue Eagles lost to FEU on St. Ignatius Day, the Hail Mary squad has bounced back in strong fashion. They have silenced the critics that stated that they already peaked in their 5-0 start. The Blue Eagles of 2008 are indeed for real. The Adidas sponsorship and the increase of prices on the season tickets were worth it for die-hard fans. If you see a school’s fans wearing shirts (that show support to the school’s basketball team) outnumber their opponents in a non-bearing game, you know that they are all worth the investment. Ateneo’s rally to beat all the opposition in the second round shows that they are really hungry to get the title this year. Norman Black ensured that his squad will not lose easy games this year by beating last year’s nightmare – NU. Ateneo even won a game that ‘did not matter’ against the school to which the ‘game matters a lot.’ Talk about attitude and toughness. That is how you smack your archrivals after they proudly proclaimed that they won the games that matter last year. Well, guess what, you guys (Lasallites) just lost the game that matter this year. Payback is a bitch.
What then makes Team Ateneo for real? The same as before: DEFENSE. Ateneo has thrived with their fundamental D down low as opponents find a hard time of scoring by slashing or low post scoring. One name shines in this department: Nonoy Baclao. Nonoy’s superb shotblocking has discouraged opponents from pounding it down low. Add to that the effect of the strong reaction by the Sixth Man on every swats, the opponents are surely demoralized as they try to alter their shots on the next possessions giving them ugly field goal percentages. With Nonoy’s great timing and reaction, I believe he is a better shotblocker than Japeth Aguilar. But, is it all Nonoy? Ladies and gentlemen, Rabeh Al Hussaini has impressed me after being a slouch inside in the first round. This guy’s development has vastly increased as he has strongly defied the opposition offensively and defensively. gRABEH!
Ateneo duplicated its first round strengths in the second round. This fundamental team just proved that old school way of play is still the way to go. You can have bad days in offense but never on defense. Ateneo just showed its defensive dominance on their game against UE. The Blue Eagles shot badly and they turned the ball horribly but they emerged winning the game because they also made UE suffer offensively in order for them to have a chance of winning the game. What beat the Red Warriors? Ironically, it was Ateneo’s three-point sniping ability. Chris Tiu and Ryan Buenafe combined with four triples in the final five minutes of regulation to force the game to overtime. Ateneo just eliminated its weakness in the first round by raining from downtown as they made UST, La Salle and FEU for relying on the zone defense to stop Ateneo’s offense.
If there is one player I would like to commend in the second round, that would have to be Rabeh Al-Hussaini. He has been dominating and is the main reason for the Eagles’ dominant record. Rabeh for MVP!
With this, we ask, have the Blue Eagles peaked? I think they are peaking at the right time. As long as they beat UE in their very first game, Team Ateneo continues to peak. They have been incredibly hitting on all cylinders. Their last eliminations game is a testament that they are still improving. Look, Chris Tiu did not even have to score a lot for the Blue Eagles to pound the Green Archers!
But then, Team Ateneo has not yet achieved anything but a school record. Like I stated in my last Multiply blog post, they are just putting themselves into a better position to win. Nothing of the past has been redeemed by Team Ateneo’s Redeem Team. They need to be the best in the big games before we can say that the Blue Eagles are the best. This year’s version has shown composure, confidence and determination to win as they have been relentless in the eliminations but sadly, the eliminations is just the eliminations. We may have dominated La Salle awhile ago and it gives as the temporary bragging license but still, the bragging rights belong La Salle as they are the defending champions.
If Ateneo manages to win this year’s crown, I can safely say that they earned it fully. The non-bearing game win against La Salle will contribute to a more difficult Final Four for the Green Archers.
De La Salle University Green Archers (10-4)
La Salle is currently tied in second place with the FEU Tamaraws and they will battle it out in a best-of-three series. The Green Archers could have been in a better position if they won against Ateneo in their last game. The twice-to-beat advantage is theirs for the taking but their archrivals just added clawed them back to earth. Losing to their archrival is also another possible reason for them to lose some morale against FEU. Although, they might come out strong. Franz always bounces back in a strong way.
So far, La Salle’s 2nd round showing is like a mirror of their 1st round performance – you just swap UE’s defeat to FEU’s defeat. Although, La Salle’s second round showing was not that impressive. They won without Coach Franz Pumaren but they also lost some swagger when Adamson was able to put them in danger of losing. Had it not been for questionable calls against Adamson, La Salle would have lost it. They also got lucky against UST with Maui Villanueva’s last second shot. FEU and Ateneo defeated them convincingly. They had to endure an NU big lead in the first half of their game. La Salle was able to pull through but it was because of JVee Casio. J-Shock showed that he is the heart and soul of this team as he rallied to win games for the Green Archers. However, the problem is, their promising bench in the first round is getting a bit inconsistent in the second round as Casio has been singlehandedly carrying his team to win games. He resembles LA Tenorio of 2005 when Ateneo had a scarcity of talent. La Salle lives with their system but if they do not have the necessary talent, they will be kissing their repeat hopes goodbye. JVee Casio cannot do it all for this team. We already saw the outcome of Tenorio’s season then. The Archers might have a better chance but their gameplay against Ateneo awhile ago showed that they live and die by JVee. I think he will bounce back in case they get a chance to face the Blue squad again but I do not know if that is sufficient. Nevertheless, the Taft guys are still the defending champions and Franz Pumaren is an excellent coach so I can never really say that they are out of the game.
Have the Green Archers peaked when they had their 5-0 run in the eliminations? Possibly. However, that does not change my mind of predicting them as the likely champions of 2008. There is a chance that they are saving the best for last. Also, they are far from dead – a sweep on FEU would surely bring momentum to the green side of things.
Far Eastern University Tamaraws (10-4)
The Morayta-based squad is this year’s Madrama team. They have been part of several controversies and they have a knack of dealing with them with strong emotions as they win games by coming back. I was about to brand them as this year’s version of Ateneo Blue Eagles batch 2004 when Mac Baracael was shot but seeing that they are more of a dominant squad than that year’s Blue Eagles, I dismissed my thoughts. Nevertheless, there were similarities. FEU lost Mac Baracael and had a winning streak that featured them beating the #1 seed Blue Eagles. Ateneo then lost Larry Fonacier to ACL and had a 1st round sweep. FEU excelled by rallying in the 4th quarter. Ateneo then was an awesome come-from-behind team engineered by LA Tenorio’s step-back three pointers. That was why I began shouting “PUSO!” to Team Ateneo then. Coincidentally, both teams face/d La Salle in a best-of-three series in the Final Four. The difference is, FEU this year is more balanced and they have proved that they can win convincingly without Mac Baracael without thriving that much on emotions when they defeated La Salle. However, FEU is starting to lose some swagger when they have lost to UE last Thursday. I have a feeling that the Law of Averages will soon catch up on them as they have been too lucky in winning most of their games by coming from behind. Will the Rally Monkey be there for them to beat La Salle in the playoffs or are my feelings on the FEU squad true?
But then, this is life – there is no such thing as ”you have 3 credits for Lady Luck.” We do not know if FEU will still be lucky in the future. But if you ask me personally, I want them to get unlucky at the ending stretch of this season. Why? No offense to FEU fans but I really want Ateneo to be the champions this year because I believe that FEU is really a great young team. I see them duelling it with Ateneo for the number 1 spot in the next few years. If they are going to be the champs this year, then it would be demoralizing to dream that we could be champions because FEU is just starting to get stronger as their next Fil-foreigner will play next year. If they can be champions without that import, what more when they have that guy?
Why is FEU successful thus far? Wingmen mismatch. If you have tall wingmen, that usually equates to mismatch on offense and defense. That was what Ateneo had in 2002 (with Wesley Gonzales and Larry Fonacier) that helped them in their bid to win the crown. UST is touted to be a strong team because they have Dylan Ababou and Francis Allera for the wingman mismatch how much more for FEU with guys like Cawaling, Ramos, Fernandez in the mix? Their big men are also versatile a la Dirk Nowitzki style. They can gun it from downtown to kill the zone defense. This is the primary reason why Ateneo is having a hard time facing this squad. Also, I have to note of the emergence of sophomore Mark Barocca who has been very impressive lately especially when he torched the Green Archers in their 2nd Round game.
University of the East Red Warriors (9-5)
Say hello to UAAP’s most aggressive and physically conditioned team. This team can run the full court press forty minutes as they are composed of athletic players that suit up well with Dindo Pumaren’s rotation. Even though they were branded to be weaker than UST (making Ateneans to wish to battle them), I think they are still deadly. Why? They can try to tire the Blue Eagles’ starting unit with their relentless trapping defense. As we have all observed, Ateneo is weak in its second unit (excluding Eric Salamat). However, these high-jumping, agile guys still have one major problem: They don’t have a legitimate big. Yes, they can match up in rebounding but there are some intangible aspects tall centers have – their interior presence and their ability to easily score at the low post. You will see the better picture of this once you watch the Ateneo vs. UE 2nd round game.
The UE Red Warriors this year are not like the UE Red Warriors of last year. They were the sweeping team the year before and they are suddenly hanging from the Final Four cliff. Nevertheless, they were still able to defeat the other takers to the last spot – UST Growling Tigers. Furthermore, they are peaking at the right time this year. They defeated FEU in a non-bearing game to signal to the Blue Eagles that the UE Red Warriors are not going to be an easy prey. Dindo could have learned from his elder brother and graduating Warriors like Marcy Arellano are going to make a strong case to win the crown this year. UE has been known to be perennial Final Four chokers in the past years as they have been known to lose twice-to-beat advantages. I was not even watching UAAP when UE scored their lone playoff win (on a war they eventually lost since they did not have the twice-to-beat advantage).
Will the Red Warriors break the jinx and bring back the glory to their school?
We shall see that if Marcy Arellano and his companions make the basketball court their playground like what they did when they mounted big leads against UST and FEU. If James Martinez continues to shoot superbly from downtown, they have a chance. We should also note of the emergence of Paul Zamar in the second round of this season. He has played exceptionally in the past few weeks. Not bad for a first year player. But if UE is to win it all, I think it has to go through Marcy Arellano. This silent gunner has been disappointing for certain stretches of the season. But if he is able to contribute in a big way, UE has a high chance of winning. Case in point: UE’s obliteration of UP with their 30-point win. The problem with Marcy is, he has been a big name ever since his rookie of the year days that is why he has always been checked by the opposition’s guards.
University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers (6-8)
No offense to the UST fans, but whenever I see the Growling Tigers lose to a Top Four team this season, the advertisement of Accenture pops up to my mind with these lines: “UST lost... Another day in the office for the Tigers.” As much as Tiger Woods is consistent in golf, the UST Growling Tigers have been consistent in losing to the Final Four teams. Yes, they had lots of games that went down the wire and they had the chance of winning them. However, they still lost. A loss is a loss just like a win is a win no matter how large or small the deficit is. I have watched all the heartbreaking losses of the UST Growling Tigers and amidst these games having a classic feel, I think they really deserved to lose in each of those games.
Let us dissect each of those games. Round 2 battle with FEU. UST begins the fourth quarter with a large lead. Everything seems safe in Espana until the Morayta ‘Rally Monkey’ team barges with their fourth quarter magic. By the end of regulation, we suddenly have a ballgame as we headed into the overtime. UST had the chance to win the game but Dylan Ababou missed two crucial freethrows. FEU won the game eventually. Why did they lose this game? I think the reason would be coaching miscues. Jervy Cruz and Dylan Ababou were fielded in the early minutes of the fourth quarter. By the time the Growling Tigers need the help of their main men in the crucial stages, the two cannot deliver anymore. Coach Pido should have taken note that FEU will try to make a run as they normally do so he should have managed the playing minutes of his star effectively. Another miscue then was when he fielded rookie Jeric Fortuna in the last minutes of the game. That same guy contributed to the loss in their first battle with the Tamaraws and he still gets the privilege to choke again?
Next up: Round 2 game with La Salle. The Tigers and the Archers had this classic showdown of their main men as Jervy Cruz and JVee Casio showed each other that they are for real. However, JVee Casio seemed to get the upper hand of it when he led La Salle to have a good lead going to the final minutes. This game appeared to be a sure La Salle win with just a minute remaining but the Growling Tigers kept fighting back. I was surprised when they were able to tie the game with just a few seconds remaining. Then, the blunder occurred. Coach Pido called a timeout right after the Growling Tigers scored for the tie. It is a necessity to call one if you are on the offensive side because you have the control of the ball and you can set up for one last play but if you are on defense, you are basically doing your opponent a favour to set up that one last play. Forget about La Salle’s backup Coach Jack Santiago’s rattled coaching. The timeout was enough for the players to settle down and think of how to win the game themselves. The game ended, sadly for the Tigers, in regulation as LA Revilla was able to run the ball to their court just in time for the Maui Villanueva game-winning putback.
Two heartbreaking losses with a lot of ‘what ifs’ attached for the Growling Tigers. The last painful loss to La Salle seemed disheartening to them as they got rampaged early by the UE Red Warriors. It was Marcy’s playground in the first thirty minutes of that game as UST’s season seemed over with the huge 24-point deficit the UE Red Warriors worked hard for. UE was clicking on all cylinders and UST, instead of fighting back, was left to suffer bigger deficits. What happened to Coach Pido’s emotional coaching? He should be firing up his team when they need it the most. Coach Pido’s last stand was at hand. He questioned a referee’s bad call in the middle of the fourth quarter when the Growling Tigers were slowly but surely, creeping up. This forced the referee to call a technical foul and throw Pido out of the game. I don’t know with everyone else, but for all the blunders Coach Pido had in the past games, I think this one redeemed him in a way because for what it’s worth he is more of a motivational coach than a systematic one and having himself thrown out of the game suited his coaching style. It fired up the emotions of his team as the 2006 defending champs rally from 24 to cut the lead down to 1 in the last thirty plus seconds of the game. Funny thing was, Coach Pido left his team without a timeout to regroup themselves in that final seconds. UE was already rattled and UST, by all means, had an incredible comeback. Here we go again: the Growling Tigers are given a chance to win or at least tie the game before they settle things out in overtime. However, their momentum of shooting threes carried on up to the last seconds of the game. Instead of going for the easy two – man, they have Jervy Cruz!!! – they went for the three-point shots. They fell in love so much with their triples that it was easy for UE to decipher UST’s offensive game plan. Rookie Clark Bautista hurried a contested three point shot even if UE was just leading by 1. He missed. UE got the possession and was fouled. The UE shooter choked his first freethrow attempt but was able to make the second. Still, it is just a two point lead. UST can still go for the tie. Jervy Cruz, anyone? He is your main guy! Francis Allera has the ball. Then, something whispered in his mind, “Go for the game winner. You will surely be loved by your school for being the hero.” He attempts a three and misses it. UE gets the rebound and gets fouled. I was ranting heavily in front of my TV set because of UST’s undisciplined gameplay. Just a two point shot for Christ’s sake! UST got lucky when Espiritu missed both freethrows. Still a two-point lead. Guys, this is your third chance! You should have learned from the first two botched attempts. Pass it to Jervy Cruz. Win or die by your best guy in the court. Sadly, the Growling Tigers forgot all about their best guy. Everybody just wanted to be a hero when they went for another three-point shot. It missed and the game was over. The season was over for UST.
That ends the ‘could have been a dynasty’ for the UST Growling Tigers. After they won the 2006 title, everybody was scared of UST because they have the right ingredients to form a dynasty. They’ve got the best big man in the league in Jervy Cruz. They have a tall and speedy wingman in Dylan Ababou. He will surely provide mismatches. They even have an excellent on-court general in Japs Cuan. Pundits have been stating that UST has the best lineup in paper this season but they failed to even win a game against weaker lineups in paper like La Salle and UE. I guess Coach Pido Jarencio is starting to be a one-trick pony after the 2006 season. What lies ahead for the Growling Tigers? I do not know. They will surely be a weaker team next year because of the departure of critical players like Jervy Cruz, Japs Cuan and Francis Allera. But for what it’s worth, they were still able to win a crown for the team. The Thomasians should be proud of them. Underachieving this year, but they were able to bring the glory back to Espana.
University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons (3-11)
From a winless season, the UP Fighting Maroons improved their reputation this year by winning three games and sweeping Adamson Falcons in a convincing manner. I once touted this team to be weak at heart but since they have owned Adamson in a big way in their second round encounter, I have to say that they have redeemed their school’s glory (no matter how little they redeemed) in line for their 100th anniversary. All I can say is, congratulations to them. I felt glad for them when they raised a banner stating “Isang Daang Salamat Po” in their final game against UST. The team may still be weak at paper but they have learned to gain some toughness and fight back. Jay Agbayani has never been this determined ever. His screams after scoring inside shows that he really wants to win it for his team. Mark Lopez has developed to be a better player as he is starting to match his marketability during his HS days in FEU. Martin Reyes, with his Allan Caidic-esque shooting arm, has shown flashes of brilliance this season. For what it’s worth, this young UP team has a chance to rebuild and be better next season. Who knows? They might steal a playoff spot next year as UST and UE will be weaker with the departure of their main players.
Adamson University Soaring Falcons (3-11)
You have to give it to Coach Leo Austria. This year’s version of Adamson was weaker in paper as compared to last year’s Adamson. They lost Cabahug and Hugnatan from last year. What Coach Leo could do was to make over what is left for this team. Although they just notched one win in the second round, I think Adamson still fought for glory. They almost beat the defending champions La Salle Green Archers and they made a statement by beating NU so that they will not be the cellar dwellers this season. Without Coach Leo to direct his weak team, I don’t think Adamson would have won a single game this season. The Adamson Falcons need their coach next year because I am sure he is going to develop the mental toughness of his players. Remember the benching of his key players in the UP game as a disciplinary action? That is what coaches need to enforce to their players. You do not let your players build up big egos and babyfeed them all the way. What Adamson currently lacks is mental toughness (that was why they did not beat La Salle then). They need it for years to come. With Coach Austria at the helm, we might see the day when Adamson deals their first win in several years against Ateneo.
National University Bulldogs (2-12)
It was a disappointing end for Edwin Asoro’s UAAP career. This one man powerhouse did not deliver a better win-loss record for his school this season. There was the usual NU upset that his team manufactured when they dealt FEU’s second loss in the first round. After which, they have done nothing spectacular other than beating the lowly Maroons at the start of the second round. They tried their best to repeat last year’s upset on Ateneo but the Blue Eagles showed that they are a much composed team this year as NU’s attempt to disrupt the Eagles’ toughness by shoving hard and unsportsmanlike fouls on them have not been sufficient to rattle the best in the elims. NU also had the hand of beating FEU but they failed because Asoro’s strong play was inconsistent. This team will soon lose some of their better players in Asoro and Janhke at the end of this year. Will they still remain a team that lives by upsetting the stronger teams or will they be a doormat team next season? Will they finally emerge a threat? For next year, I do not think so but given that Henry Sy aims to improve this school’s calibre, we might see NU gunning it out with the top teams in the next few years.
Most Valuable Player: Rabeh Al-Hussaini (Ateneo)
Runner-Up: Chris Tiu (Ateneo)
Mythical Five:
Rabeh Al-Hussaini (Ateneo)
Jervy Cruz (UST)
Chris Tiu (Ateneo)
JVee Casio (DLSU)
Rico Maierhoffer (DLSU)
Second Mythical Five:
Dylan Ababou (UST)
Nonoy Baclao (Ateneo)
Mark Barocca (FEU)
Benedict Fernandez (FEU)
Edwin Asoro (NU)
Most Improved Player: Rabeh Al-Hussaini (Ateneo)
Rookie of the Year: Ryan Buenafe (Ateneo)
Best Defensive Player: Nonoy Baclao (Ateneo)
Sixth Man: Rico Maierhoffer (DLSU)
That’s it. Sorry for just providing few inputs on some teams. The season is pretty much over for most of them so there is nothing more to analyze and improve on. As for the Final Four, I cannot really say which team will emerge to be the King of Season 71. The Ateneo Blue Eagles are poised to be but we cannot really be sure because they are going to face a strong opposition from the UE Red Warriors. Remember, this team is as hungry as the Blue Eagles are. They just came from a humiliating sweep in the Finals last year after sweeping the Eliminations Round. Also, they are peaking at the right time (although, this is not done convincingly). Ateneo is clicking in all cylinders lately but we have yet to see as to how they play in the big games. As for La Salle, they have a weaker team this year but Coach Franz’s system is able to deliver them to the playoffs. We must note that Franz’s La Salle championship teams do not normally become the #1 team in the eliminations. They just master the art of finishing big when it counts. But, confident Archer fans should take note that FEU is not a team that would just roll over and die. This team has got the spunk to fight it out and never say die against any of the top four teams. Remember that they own the win of the lone defeat of Ateneo. I once wrote them out of the competition but they have proved that they are for real. I think that FEU and La Salle’s best-of-three series would be critical. If it goes to the maximum of three games, the winner of it will have a hard time against the winner of the Ateneo-UE series especially if the victor of the former did it in a sweep (Ateneo by not losing a game or UE by winning the two games). The reason for such is fatigue and the momentum. As clearly shown in the ending of the eliminations, both Ateneo and UE ended it with signs of peaking. But then again, the ball is round so we do not know which team would prevail. I am hoping Ateneo gets it this year. Go Ateneo! One Big Fight!
Some Notes on Season 71
Rabeh Al-Hussaini should bag this year’s MVP trophy. Jervy Cruz might have superior stats but his stats are non-bearing if these did not equate into wins against the better teams. Stats-wise, Rabeh has been consistent. He has been the reason why Ateneo has been dominating thus far. But still, Captain Chris is still the heart and soul of this team. When the going gets tough or when the Blue Eagles need to make the crucial shots, Chris Tiu has always been bailing them out. The second round game against UE is the full testament of that. Also, Chris Tiu provides leadership qualities no other UAAP player can surpass this season. He does not need to score often but he makes crucial plays. His aura when he plays is sometimes enough because the team always gets better when he is on the court. I would like both Rabeh and Chris to win the MVP plum this year. I am sorry to those rooting for Jervy Cruz and JVee Casio. I just do not think that those two should win the MVP title. Jervy’s team did not reach the Final Four whereas JVee Casio’s statistics ain’t sufficient. If one would argue about the intangibles that he has provided to his team, why not Chris Tiu? Chris Tiu is more clutch and has better leadership qualities than JVee. Tiu even beats Casio on statistics because Chris rebounds better. Ateneo’s record is way better than La Salle’s in the eliminations. It would be sweet to see both Chris and Rabeh to bag the MVP awards but if I were to choose among the two, I will give it to Rabeh due to his consistency and statistics.
This season’s programming has become horrible. Blame it on having too many sponsors. They sacrificed the games by having instant replays shown on every deadball. The problem is, there are times when there are already interesting actions occurring and Studio 23 is still showing the instant replays. They should decrease the frequency and save the instant replays for the big plays. They have all the replays for everything – rebounds, three-point shots, turnovers, fastbreaks, and big plays. There were even times when the game play has started but Studio 23 is still showing commercials. Bloopers are also evident. The team names that would be shown on the screens are sometimes wrong. I have nothing against having too many sponsors, but they should have coordinated it with the game officials better so that they would minimize cutting important parts of the games.
The commentating is not that great as well. I have heard some of their sportscasters make several mistakes in calling the players’ names. I am not going to name names but it is really bad especially if the commentator invents terms that do not sound right. I suddenly miss quality sportscasting by Sev Sarmenta. Courtside reporting is not exceptional as well. One of the top notch reporters this season is La Salle’s Sharon Yu. She’s beautiful and all but her reports get dragging. As for others, I am not that impressed. It is decent but it is not exceptional.
Nevertheless, it has been a great season. I am looking forward for more action in the Final Four and the Finals. May the best team prevail. Go Ateneo! One Big Fight! PUSO!
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