Five stories during NU’s championship celebration

Look who is Number One!

Five stories during NU’s championship celebration

words and pictures by rick olivares

A seat to history

Dr. Arlene Royo, who used to be National University’s representative to the UAAP Board, made her way to the court as the Bulldogs and their supporters whooped it up after annexing its second ever UAAP Men’s Basketball Championship; one that was 60 years in the making. She used to be very visible and active in school as well as all the games especially when her family, the Paguias were co-owners of the school, but since the Sy family took over operations, Dr. Royo has stayed mostly in the background.

She walked close to the sideline near the officials’ table then pulled out her wallet. She then faced her wallet towards the celebration that had engulfed the court.

Upper left: Leticia Mommy Paguia and Sonny Paguia. Below: Bam Paguia.

There were three pictures inside her wallet – Leticia “Mommy” Jhocson-Paguia, the matriarch of NU, as well as her brothers Sonny and Bam Paguia. The former served as the Bulldogs’ longest tenured coach while the latter was the school’s former board representative. All three have shifted from this mortal coil with Bam Paguia passing away due to cardiac arrest early this year.

“I was there when NU won its first ever UAAP Men’s Basketball championship (in 1954),” said Dr. Royo. “Si Mommy nandun din.”

“My brothers were there for the tough times. Sonny never saw things get better but Bam did. I know they’ll want to see this.”

Dr. Royo held her wallet up high for a few minutes before she placed it back inside her bag while wiping the tears away. “This means so much not only to us but to all who ever went to National University.”

His team posed at center court and began whooping it up. Eric Altamirano dutifully finished some interviews before joining his victorious NU Bulldogs.

Déjà vu all over again

Twenty-eight years ago, Altamirano presided over the University of the Philippines’ attack as it wrested the title from three-peat seeking University of the East.

Just as they did in 1986, Altamirano’s team won it with defense. Back then, they couldn’t solve the riddle of Jerry Codinera. In the finals, with Altamirano busting open UE’s zone, Benjie Paras found the space to work inside and UE came undone.

This year, with Alfred Aroga owning the paint and JJ Alejandro, Rev Diputado, and Gelo Alolino sniping from the outside, the Bulldogs, no longer the underdog, claimed its championship.

Altamirano joins Baby Dalupan, Joel Banal and Norman Black as the only four coaches to win a PBA and UAAP championship. He also joins Arturo Valenzona and Fritz Gaston as the only players to win a UAAP title as a player and as head coach. Valenzona won both with FEU 1961 as a player and 1991 as coach while Gaston won with Ateneo in 1976-77 and 1988 as head coach of the Blue Eagles. Dalupan won titles as head coach of the UE Warriors and the Ateneo Blue Eagles to go with his championships in the PBA with Crispa, Great Taste, and Purefoods. He won a football championship with Ateneo but not for its basketball team. Banal won a title as a player in Mapua and as head coach of the Cardinals in the NCAA and as head coach of the Blue Eagles in the UAAP. He also won with Talk ‘N’ Text.*

When asked to describe in one word this championship, the word “redemption” came to mind. After the galling Final Four defeat to UST last season where the Bulldogs owned a twice-to-beat advantage, they crumbled against the physical play of UST. Quite a few people in the Sampaloc school felt that Altamirano should be replaced. But top management stuck with him and he repaid their faith by delivering a championship.

“The feeling… is close,” groped Altamirano for words when asked if there was anything similar to 1986 and 2014.

Assistant coach Joey Guanio, who was a teammate of Coach E on that UP championship squad respectfully disagreed. “It’s the same. We ended a long drought back then and we did it again. But Eric is right, it is vindication for our system and what we have been trying to accomplish.”

“Siguro last season, we were not yet ready for the championship,” chimed in Vic Icasiano, assistant coach with NU. “Our biggest learning – we had to play, win and lose as a team. Not as individuals but as a team.”

Five on five

When Hans Sy’s family purchased control of National University five years ago, he outlined a five-year program to win the coveted men’s basketball crown. Everyone took him for his word. With the SM machine behind NU, recruiting top-notch players as well improving the school’s facilities became prime importance.

In Season 76, a lot of people felt that the Bulldogs were ready to ascend to the Mount Olympus of Philippine college basketball. But the team crashed badly although it did not burn.

“At the start of the year, I told the coaching staff that I wanted to be the number one defensive team in the UAAP,” related NU team manager Manny Sy who is a constant presence during all team functions here and abroad. “Playing soft was unacceptable. We lost eight players so we knew we had to work as a team. And the coaches got the job done.”

“I think,” noted Hans Sy. “We played better with less pressure on us. We had no real stars to begin with. You tell me… were there any hotly recruited players on this team? None. So maybe it was better this way. They relied on one another.”

“Did I think that after losing in the Final Four last year that we will not hit our target? I didn’t think about that anymore. When you stumble; you adjust. It’s sounds simple but it isn’t. We had to work really hard.”

The Last Stand

When the NU Bulldogs joined the PBA D-League early this year, they took quite a shellacking even with their graduating players still on board. But as the D-League season wore on, the team began to realize, “Hey, we can hang with these semi-pro teams. So let’s work harder.”

The Bulldogs did and picked up three wins. Towards the end, Ray Parks selflessly deferred now to Troy Rosario and Glenn Khobuntin.

For much of their college career, Khobuntin and Kyle Neypes were glued to the bench. They didn’t see much playing time and their confidence waned badly. “That was because there were other players ahead of them in the rotation,” explained Icasiano. During our D-League stint, we told them, ‘this is your time to shine.’ Both of them responded to the challenge.

In the middle of the fourth period, Neypes was struck in the side of the face by FEU’s Reymar Jose. Never one to back down from a challenge, the graduating Bulldog tried to go after Jose but Khobuntin wrapped his arms around his irate teammate. “Hindi natin ‘to kailangan,” emphasized Khobuntin as Neypes cooled down. A few seconds later, Neypes drilled a baseline jumper as the NU bench and crowd let out a huge roar.

After a FEU timeout, Neypes trooped to the bench to high fives from his teammates. “That is how you get even,” said Manny Sy who patted him on the shoulder.

In their final college game, Khobuntin finished with 10 points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal and three turnovers. Neypes added eight points and four boards.

“Marami nagsasabi na dapat hindi na lang ako dapat umalis ng UST,” said Neypes in the midst of the championship celebration. “Lahat naman yan pagsubok. Sipag at tiyaga lang talaga. Ngayon, champion na kami. Masaya rin yung ending di ba?”

He then joined his teammates for more selfies in the middle of the court.

The Good Son

“During our time,” said Jeff Napa. “We went from the worst to the worst kung posible man yun. Nag-Final Four din kami pero after that bagsak ulit.”

Napa said it all. He played for Sonny Paguia and Manny Dandan. He served as an assistant to Eric Gonzales during the interim period before Eric Altamirano took over. He has since coached the Bullpups to two UAAP Juniors championships. He’ll also get a championship ring for working as an assistant in Altamirano’s staff.

“Iba nung time na yun nung talunan kami,” related Napa. “Hindi ka masasanay sa talo. Magsasawa ka. Ayaw na ayaw mo. Ngayon, maganda na yung may programa. Nakakapagbigay din kami ng pride at accomplishment sa school. Iba rin yun para sa mga estudyante. Hindi na kami basta parang tapakan ng UAAP. Lumalaban din kami.”

The former sharpshooter for NU paused and measured his words for effect.

“Alam mo hindi naman kami nakakasiguro kung kelan kami ulit mananalo. Sa lahat ng na-experience namin – yung mga season na walang panalo, yung mga laban na masakit sa dibdib mo -- hindi ka pwede mag-take for granted ang lahat ng ito. Magce-celebrate kami ngayon. Tapos bukas, trabaho na ulit.”


* Valentin “Tito” Eduque also won as a player for UST and La Salle while coaching the green and white to a pair of NCAA titles in the 1970s. Ronnie Magsanoc won a championship with UP as a player and as head coach of San Beda. Ed Ocampo won back-to-back championships as a player for Ateneo in the NCAA then also skippered Toyota and Royal Tru-Orange to some PBA crowns! 

This is for Tito Sonny Paguia (my old neighbor in Cubao) and Tito Bam. Oh, menudo na!

Between the lines of UAAP Finals Game 3 FEU vs NU

This appears on philstar.com

Between the lines of FEU and NU before Game 3

by rick olivares

This might come a little late but I just got back from a 16-day sojourn of the United Kingdom.

When I look at the UAAP Season 77 Finals, I think the match up between FEU and NU is one of the best things to happen to the league since UP won it all in 1986.

It is already a known fact that that the finals pairing broke the stranglehold that Ateneo and La Salle have had on alternating in finals appearances since 1987. It’s certainly very good that the Smart Araneta Coliseum is playing to a packed venue because that ought to show the advertisers that there is more to the league than the two aforementioned schools.

When I look at the two squads, they managed to get in by playing with a lot less pressure. It’s far from their previous year’s respective campaigns when they bombed out while playing under more pressure.

Losing a large number of players and previous league MVPs helped the respective players grow under a less harsh glare of television cameras and social media.

Taking a look at the NU Bulldogs after their Season 76 collapse despite owning a twice-to-beat advantage, some in the school felt that Eric Altamirano should be replaced as head coach. Some felt that the team was soft and pushed around easily by the UST Growling Tigers. But the team’s top official put the kibosh on any coaching change. One told me that they felt that they saw the coaches put in their due diligence and that maybe the team needed to grow a little bit more. I’ll bet those who wanted wholesale changes are merely smiling now and aren’t part of any celebration in the Sampaloc school.

Take point guard Gelo Alolino. Some wanted him dropped from the lineup. Even getting him as a Gatorade Brand Ambassador was met with questions. Personally, I thought that he had what it took to be a premier guard in the UAAP (yes, I think he is underrated).  

This particular team of Bulldogs have bonded over time and have had the benefit of very good coaches and an excellent support system. In fact, I’d like to point out to that little seen incident prior to the knockout match between NU and UE where the Red Warriors’ Charles Mammie was taunting the Bulldogs’ Alfred Aroga prior to the match. Aroga sat on his seat, paid no attention to Mammie and although he was initially fuming, team officials came over to soothe his frayed nerves. Aroga scored the winning free throws after fishing a foul from Mammie.

I love what has been done to National University as a whole in the last six years. The school has placed a premium on education by hiring top teachers. The facilities in place as well as the new curriculum have brought in a newer student base. One time while taking the elevator ride up to the gym, the students beside me were speaking in English! That was definitely unheard in these parts years ago. There is a bounce in the step of the school. The strides made in facilities, the education, and athletics has given the students something they can be proud of.

The immediate surrounding areas have all been cleaned up. The front of the school is home to sandwich and coffee shops.

Not too far from NU is Morayta which is the enclave of Far Eastern University. The school has had the benefit of having sound educators improve the quality of their education such as former Department of Educations Culture and Sports Secretary Edilberto De Jesus and others. Their campus has also grown by leaps and bounds. A brother of mine who has been a professor in their school for the past 13 years certifies that upsurge in quality.

Over at sport, they have always been very good. But more so since they put in a program headed by Mark Molina who in turn has brought in smart and shrewd managers like Vince Santos who has developed their football program that is the best in the country at the moment.

In basketball, the Tamaraws looked imperious after the first round of play of Season 76. But this being FEU, everyone waiting for them to collapse and they did no one favors by doing so. When some players physically fought amongst each other leading up to the Final Four everyone already knew that even before the game was played they had come undone.

As I have mentioned time and again, the Tamaraws began to play as a team during last season’s Champions League where the ball was whipping around like crazy and players were getting their touches and buckets. The no-star system clearly worked for them. To borrow some tags from North America, the Legion of Doom became the Legion of Boom.

There were fears of a significant drop off with the loss of their previous team MVPs and team captain Gryann Mendoza. But no. They have kept on rolling.

Sure head coach Nash Racela had to get it out of Mike Tolomia to be the ultimate playmaker – one capable of creating for teammates and scoring huge buckets – instead of looking to shoot first and shoot again later. The team of role players from Carl Cruz to Roger Pogoy to Achi Iñigo have all come up huge. Anthony Hargrove when he is talking and closing that lane has been very effective. Plus his passing is so underrated.

During the summer, it was Nash Racela’s goal to use La Salle as the yardstick in moving up in the league. They lost three matches to La Salle during the summer tourneys but every time, they were closing the gap and learning.

I mentioned earlier about either Ateneo and La Salle or both appearing in the finals since 1987. In that time too, another little known fact is for another team to win the title, they had to beat one of those two schools in convincing fashion to wrap up the crown for themselves.

FEU took down La Salle while NU reversed last season’s miscues by edging Ateneo in two games. So where does that leave us? Game Three.

One team will go home a winner after Wednesday. But in reality, the entire league wins.

40 storyline I will follow this PBA Season

This appears on pba.inquirer.net

40 Part 1

by rick olivares

Here are 40 storylines I am looking forward to follow this 40^th season of the PBA:

1.    Seeing San Mig Super Coffee defend their Grand Slam. They played it cagey throughout the past campaign and deceptively snuck in as a lower seed. They peaked at the right time and what was allegedly an old team that was beefed up with young talent took it to some really good teams to make league history.

2.    Barangay Ginebra supposedly reloaded and they looked to be the hot team by the end of the Philippine Cup. But they collapsed like a deck of cards and there were questions about some players’ heart. Personally, I think they have a very good line-up. The bigger question is the stability in its coaching ranks.

3.    How will Manny Pacquiao fare with KIA? People say that he is nothing more than window dressing when it comes to his team – that he isn’t the true brains in the coaching staff and that he can’t even beat a high school varsity player. A pre-season performance has brought out the boo birds. Will the boxing champ suffer a knockout in his first major basketball endeavor? Or will he prove the naysayers wrong?

4.    There are three new ballclubs in KIA and Blackwater and NLEX although the latter is taking over the now defunct Air21 franchise that eventually died an ugly death. Will they be the league’s new whipping boys? Or will one of them despite its lineup of discards become the Bad News Bears of Philippine pro basketball?

5.    Unlike their NBA cousins where after a few years you know if their championship window has closed, in the PBA, a season is divided into three conferences, there is time for teams to reload. An import like Arizona Reid can lift a team. However, you have to wonder for Rain or Shine after losing their last three finals appearances if that lineup has something to offer. But Yeng Guiao has always squeezed the last bit of talent out of his squads. If they can hurdle San Mig Coffee and Talk ‘N Text that seem to have their number in crucial matches then they might have a chance to lift a third trophy in the Guiao era.

6.    The opening at the Philippine Arena. Will set records for the most viewed Philippine sports spectacle if filled up. The PBA will show the way for other sports like volleyball or football that have become huge spectator sports in the country.

7.    The Alaska Aces responded well when Alex Compton took over the coaching reigns late last season. How far will they go with the Calvin Abueva experiment? He looked to be the Golden Boy two years ago when he led the Aces to their 14^th title. But last year, management was clearly irked with his on-court displays that possibly cost them some matches. The shift to JVee Casio as its poster boy has been a subtle shift in direction that the Bad Boy hoops they played last year is probably not to the liking of Fred Uytengsu and company. If they crash and burn this year look to Abueva getting traded.

8.    GlobalPort Batang Pier showed signs of breaking out of its doldrums last season with some fresh talent. Will the acquisition of the number one overall pick in Stanley Pringle galvanize this team? Can Pido Jarencio take this team to the next level? I guess he is finding out that the rah rah style in college doesn’t work in the pros. But Jarencio has proven to be a coach who can adapt and has surely grown in his chops over the last several years. Their Philippine Cup campaign will set the tone for the year.

9.    Can Norman Black weave his magic with the perennially underachieving Meralco Bolts? No team has seen more players move in and out of a PBA jersey in the last four years than Meralco. They have been a midcard team since forever. They’d like to make not only a vault up the ladder but make it a more regular occurrence and really go deep.

10.  What can Leo Austria do with the San Miguel Beermen? I am sure that he knows that he just landed in the hotseat. The rigodon on coaches has to play with coaches who know they do not have the benefit of time because every conference is a must-win for them. This used to be the plum coaching job in the country. Now? Am not so sure.

Bleachers Brew #415 Liverpool this Premier League season: In the red

This appears on the Monday, October 13, 2014 edition of the Business Mirror.

In the Red

by rick olivares

With seven matches played in this Premier League season, Liverpool Football Club find themselves adrift of last year’s pace. They finished second in a title chase that ended on the final playing date of last year.

As of this writing, they are in ninth spot with only 10 points accrued from the possible 21.

They are a pale shadow of the side that wreaked havoc on opposing defenses en route to a 101 goals, the most ever for a club that finished a bridesmaid and the most the Reds have scored in the top flight English football system.

When Brendan Rodgers took over the manager’s position of Liverpool Football Club, the Reds struggled with their new possession-based game.

Then last year, looking to finally have gotten what the gaffer preached, Liverpool took the Premier League by storm playing some of the best attacking football the league had seen since its inception. However, a late slide cost them a chance to win their first top flight title.

In my preview for this season, I noted that in the Premier League era, Liverpool has always fallen down the ladder after finishing second in the league. I’d hate to be right about this but right now, the Reds are in ninth spot having accrued 10 points out of the maximum of 21.

There was speculation that the club would challenge Manchester City and Chelsea for this year’s title. I’d love to be very optimistic but I felt that they had changed a lot of pieces from the past two years.

Rodgers has started an average of four newcomers in every match. During the first Merseyside Derby of the year, six of the starters were new. I’d say that guarantees chemistry problems.

Furthermore, Premier League teams have had two seasons to figure out what Rodgers has been trying to do with Liverpool, for sure they have come up with devices to counter the Reds’ once potent attack.

While there is really nothing new in terms of tactics in football, one can make up for it in execution, desire, and defense. Liverpool, sadly, is wanting on all three fronts. The majority of possession is even a misleading statistic.

The late loss to Chelsea is a sad reminder of that. And if one looks at the Blues this year, they have fixed their offense while not changing anything on defense. A winning combination if you ask me.

What I think the club needs are a few more things – a bedrock at central back and a motor in the middle.

I think the addition of Alberto Moreno on defense is huge and he provides an attacking threat from the back. I can see the potential for Dejan Lovren but he has been far too inconsistent.

Word is Liverpool has won the nod of West Ham defender Winston Reid who is one of the Premier League’s best defenders. Earlier this campaign, it was Reid, the New Zealander, who set the tone for the Hammers when he scored in the second minute against Liverpool in a 3-1 beating. Reid will be a huge help on defense and that probably means Javier Manquillo will have to sit.

Also on defense, there are those talks with former Barcelona net minder Victor Valdes who will be a stopper at the back this team needs. I love Simon Mignolet but he has been inconsistent this year (but I’d really point to the spotty defense as the culprit).

Regarding that fire engine in the middle third, Manchester United landed a coup when they brought in Real Madrid’s and Argentina’s Angel Di Maria. Since arriving in Manchester, he’s scored three goals and chalked up three assists. In Argentina’s recent friendly with Germany, Di Maria had a hand in all four goals in a 4-2 win over their World Cup tormentor.

What they need is someone like Arjen Robben who has pace, skill, and the ability to finish. Someone who can light a fire under these underachieving and lackluster Reds. Suarez played that role for Liverpool. So the search continues.

I like how Liverpool has not given up on bringing in Borussia Dortmund’s attacking midfielder Marco Reus who has a dazzling array of offensive skills (personally, I love his set pieces, ability to make key passes and finishing). If they can add him that would be great but even if they don’t they have Jordan Henderson in the middle along with Philippe Coutinho.

I love what Adam Lallana has been doing in the last couple of weeks but if he can be a bigger threat up front while bringing up that ball (use Gareth Bale as his inspiration), then Liverpool will be back to their usual ways.

Of course, we will have to see all of these happen first. And the team needs to get healthy. Who knows what a healthy Daniel Sturridge can do alongside Raheem Sterling and the underperforming Mario Balotelli? And certainly, I am not in agreement with how Brendan Rodgers feels that Gonzalo Higuain in the answer up front.

Make no mistake. The pressure is on Rodgers to show that last season was no fluke. He put this team together and now is looking to dump Rickie Lambert and other newcomers for not making a dent in Liverpool’s fortunes. Rafa Benitez got a lot of stick for his purchases while always lamenting he didn’t get support. Rodgers who hasn’t won anything anywhere should get some stick.

I don’t think management will stomach anything less than a title chase and a Champions League slot finish this year.

Muggles aren't allowed on Platform 9 3/4!!!

I really planned on doing this when I got to Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross.

This particular area is popular with tourists and locals who all want their piece of Harry Potter history. There are standard poses such as the one below with one of the staff at the Harry Potter shop holding up the scarf then letting it go while another snaps a photo. You can avail of the official photo at the Harry Potter Platform 9 3/4 for L9.50! Yep, it's a lot. But still. Why not?

This is the original touch! I wanted to have a photo of me on the ground after smashing against the wall. The Harry Potter store staff and the crowd were laughing at this. "Totally original," they said. "Haven't had anyone do this yet."

Well, there's a method to my madness, right?