UAAP S81 Preview: Ateneo Blue Eagles

UAAP S81 Preview: Ateneo Blue Eagles

by rick olivares

UAAP S80 finish: champion

Players who graduated: Chibueze Ikeh, Vince Tolentino, and Kris Porter

New additions: Angelo Kouame, William Navarro, SJ Belangel, and Matthew Daves

Players not in the line-up: Jawuan White and Troy Mallillin

How do you follow an act like that? Ateneo wins last year’s UAAP Men’s Basketball Championship. They win three pre-season titles in the City Hoops, Filoil Flying v Preseason Cup, and the Breakdown Basketball Invitationals during the summer. Then they cap everything off with an impressive performance in the recently-concluded William Jones Cup.

Having done all that while strengthening their squad with four key additions installs them as heavy favorites to repeat as UAAP champions. Anything less than a title will be a disappointment and that is an understatement.

Pressure? Well, there already is by merely putting on that Ateneo jersey, but all the previous accomplishments say they are favorites. Of course, that doesn’t mean without serious opposition from the other seven UAAP teams. Ateneo has to earn it.

Here are some talking points about the Ateneo Blue Eagles.

They have an even better lineup than last year.

There are the veterans like Matt and Mike Nieto, Thirdy Ravena, Aaron Black, and Isaac Go who aside from this season will have one more year to play. Jolo Mendoza, Adrian Wong, and Raffy Verano are in their third year. Tyler Tio, Gian Mamuyac, and BJ Andrade will be on their second. Anton Asistio is on his final playing year.

Now that is a good line-up. However, the addition of Angelo Kouame, William Navarro, SJ Belangel, and Matthew Daves gives this team depth.

Kouame will be the rim protector and force inside. His presence as the last line of defense will allow players to cheat somewhat on defense; gamble, and when possible run on those quick outlets. Ange can score and has good footwork. The scary thing is – he is still learning the game.

William Navarro adds shooting, depth, and another defensive force. His passing though needs to be more spot on. The X-Factor if you ask me because he will be asked to play a variety of roles and positions.

SJ Belangel stabilizes the backcourt. It allows Jolo Mendoza and Anton Asistio to slide into the shooting guard position. How big is that for Mendoza and Asistio? They’ll be a lot calmer and not as tired. All they have to do is find an opening. If you noticed during the recent summer leagues up to recently, he doesn’t need to score, but he can. What he has shown is a maturity for a rookie where he leads and directs traffic. Plus he can play D.

And there’s Matthew Daves. The onus is on this talented kid to mesh with Ateneo. His debut was with the Blue Eagles in the Jones Cup where he predictably looked lost. Make no mistake, this kid will be like a more athletic version of Noli Locsin. A guy who can barrel in, post up, and rebound. The difference is this guy will dunk on you and even shoot the three. Maturity and experience though is key. And a good attitude to learn and soak in everything.

The Tab Baldwin magic.

Even in only his first year, you can see how Tab Baldwin made great strides with the team. He took a squad that lost seven players and brought them to the finals. Then in the second year they won. And since last season, they have only gotten better and play much better. He inherited underachieving players and turned them into top players some who had made the national team.

During Ateneo’s five-peat heyday, the Blue Eagles were good at half-time adjustments. Now, they adjust on every play and every quarter. It helps when the team knows that the coach can break it down for them and come up with answers.

A key component of Ateneo’s game is their outside shooting. When they are on, it makes life easier for them. If not, they struggle, but their depth and experience have helped them get through.

The key here is team play, selflessness, and belief. That counts for a lot.

It will be a tough opening week for Ateneo. Adamson on Sunday, UP on Wednesday, and FEU on Saturday. It is nice for them to have depth. But look for Ateneo to be the hunted. How they respond to the pressure is key. But when they get on a roll. Watch out.