Ateneo vs. University of the East Round One

The Rabble Rousers
Ateneo 64 vs. University of the East 58
by rick olivares

July 13, 2008
Philsports Arena
Almost a year ago today, the Ateneo De Manila Blue Eagles and the University of the East Red Warriors, both toting a 2-0 record, squared off at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. A series of miscues in the endgame gave Dindo Pumaren’s team a 76-73 win and Norman Black’s team their first brush with mortality.

It was more than one loss. The team gave up its fastbreaking offense in favor of a more deliberate halfcourt set while Eman Monfort and Ken Barracoso were sent to the bench. The Blue Eagles responded via pair of squeakers over NU and DLSU while UE swept the elimination round.

We all know how last season ended and we all know how people love watching sequels. Prior to Sunday, the two teams were the last two undefeated teams and once more both at 2-0. Both teams know very well how streaks don’t mean anything yet after the dust had settled, one of them was going to keep going.

Talking to Norman Black, streaks don’t matter. If the team gets them it is fine. At the end of the tournament, if you’re Ateneo De Manila, you’re judged by whether you won the title or not. Much has been made too about the excellent rookie crop complementing the returning veterans. Basketball observers everywhere have noted the team’s strengths and weaknesses and while all agree Ateneo has a very good team, nothing is won on paper. And perhaps even more damning, the Blue Eagles have been criticized about failing to win the matches that matter.

Now that’s a bit too much to be thinking by the third game of the season so the coaching staff excellently keeps them focused at the task at hand. UE swept their two games with Ateneo in UAAP play last year and the Blue Eagles beat them for the Nike Summer League crown, so there was a revenge factor in there somewhere.

There were two curious spectators lost in the crowd.

Over by the left side of the upper box section on the Ateneo side of the arena, Eman Monfort, dressed in a black t-shirt, silently and intently watched the game. While unhappy with his demotion to Team B, he fully understands that it’s part of the challenge and learning process. He watched as others manned the point which he used to run. After the game, he dutifully raised his fist in celebration and told himself work harder. He’d love for nothing than to help win a title for Ateneo.

Mark Borboran has plenty to think about. There was last year’s debacle where after going 14-0, they were swept in the finals by La Salle. The PBL experience did nothing to soothe the pain for his Hapee Toothpaste team lost a couple of title showdowns with the dynastic Harbour Centre Port Masters. The former UE slotman, a shoo-in for a first round pick in the PBA, sat behind UE’s bench and offered tips every now and then to his former teammates. He cheered when something good happened and encouraged them whenever Ateneo made a run. Early in the game, he yelled out to his teammates in the huddle, “Box out niyo si Al-Husseini. Wag siyang bibigyan ng kumpyansa.”

The Red Warriors’ game plan was predicated on not giving Ateneo’s shooters any daylight from the perimeter, shutting down the interior game, and a man-zone to prevent drive-and-drops. While they didn’t have anyone like PJ Walsham or Rico Maierhofer to body up and try to get inside the Ateneo center’s head, they thought about containing him as a team. Last year, they had Kelvin Gregorio and Mark Fampulme to do the dirty work and although they have a thinner frontline this year, UE still has Elmer Espiritu, Pari Llagas, and Hans Thiele. “We’re giving up some size,” said Coach Pumaren. “So we have to take the fight to them inside.”

It did work for as Nonoy Baclao’s follow up off a Jai Reyes miss early in the first quarter were the only points inside. Most of the shots taken were from the elbow.

The halftime score thought a slim 27-26 lead for UE was all the more revealing. UE thoroughly outmuscled Ateneo on the boards 25-15 with 11 coming from the offensive glass. It was in the field goal percentage where Ateneo made some headway (they nailed 37.5% of their shots as opposed to UE’s 28.6%).

Ateneo came out of the dugout all fired up. Seconds into the third quarter, they took the lead back. Elmer Espiritu got his requisite dunk of the game, but Ateneo kept it close and the sleeping giant was about to erupt.

Rabeh Al-Husseini for the most part has always been in someone else’s shadow. There was (literally) big brother Carlo Sharma who won a title with La Salle and finally found a home with Red Bull in the PBA. There was Ford Arao and Doug Kramer who he served as an understudy and there was Japeth Aguilar who he shared a rivalry when they were in high school. There is plenty of fight in the 6’8” slotman. In fact, there is a perceived overabundance that it was always part of an opposing team’s game plan to goad him into a fight, a technical, or in foul trouble.

There was no arrested development for Al-Husseini. Pressed into immediate service following an ACL injury to Arao and Aguilar’s departure for an American school, he first showed the makings of a top-flight center with an outside touch (shades of Patrick Ewing). He was a huge part of the finals run of 2006 and figures to be a huge part of this campaign and beyond.

After a good game against La Salle, Al-Husseini disappeared against the smaller Adamson Falcons team where he scored a disappointing 2 points while pulling down 6 rebounds. “Kailangan ko bumawi ngayon,” he said before the game. “Big game para sa amin.”

Big game for Al-Husseini. In possibly his best outing in a Blue Eagle uniform, the center led the team in scoring for the first time this season with 18 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 assists. He did most of his damage in the second half where he scored on a variety of putbacks, drives, and jump hooks that left UE’s Espiritu shaking his head.

Showing the league that Ateneo could defend with the best of them, they snuffed out UE’s final run to ring up a masterful 64-58 conquest.

Ryan Buenafe, Chris Tiu, Eric Salamat, and Baclao all played sterling games for Ateneo which kept its streak alive. But to a man, they’ll all tell you that it’s not the streak but the title that matters.

But for now, they’re beginning to make some noise.