The Rain Man - UAAP Game 13 Ateneo 89 vs DLSU 87

The Rain Man - UAAP Game 13 Ateneo 89 vs DLSU 87
Round Two UAAP Season 70

by Rick Olivares

September 9, 2007
Araneta Coliseum

The weather report
Before the start of the UST-Adamson game, a couple of La Salle’s coaching staff went up to Jobe Nkemakolam and Rabah Al-Husseini who were seated in the patron seats chilling out. “Good luck sa inyo,” said one. “But not too much.”

“We don’t need it,” replied Jobe to the psy-war tactics. “But you might.” And the men in green left without further word. Only then did Al-Husseini who was lost in his digital music player looked at his teammate and asked, “Ano sabi nila?”

“They don’t like us. We don’t like them. It’s nothing important.”

Well it’s only round two between Ateneo and La Salle for the crucial twice-to-beat advantage accorded to the second seed. Nothing to get worked up for.

But there was a fallen Brian Ilad trying to yank Zion Laterre’s leg off. Rico Maierhofer and Ford Arao exchanging sweet nothings. Jai Reyes handing Maierhofer the ball after the latter committed a foul on him. Ferdinand purposely falling on top of Arao. Other than those, it’s only a typical hotly contested meeting by these ancient rivals.

On the basis of six UAAP basketball championships and playing in almost every title game since 1988, La Salle has that swagger about them. They thrive on that aggression that fuels their drive.

Ateneo on the other hand has reclaimed the faded basketball glory it had when it was the undisputed king of NCAA skies. But the team is still a work in progress. The Blue Eagles’ make up is more akin to rehabilitation cases and formerly lost causes. Albeit in a most positive way.

Coach Norman Black has done a masterful job the past three years in getting previously underachieving players to reach their potential. And this year’s reclamation projects have been Ford Arao (18 points and 8 rebounds), who next to UST’s Jervy Cruz is nigh unstoppable on the blocks, and Nkemakolam (10 points and 6 caroms) who has been steady upfront. Only there’s one more teammate crowding them for that distinction.

The rain kings
What does it feel like to go from a starter on a champion team to being on Team B? What is it like to even consider transferring schools because of repeated benchings? What is it like to reinvent oneself into a defensive stopper with a knack for the big play?

If you’ve experienced that then you know what it’s like to be in Yuri Escueta’s shoes.

“Dati sobra akong gigil pag pasok sa game,” explained the senior point guard. “Kaya sira yung diskarte. Now sabay lang tayo sa flow. Hindi ko pinipilit.”

When the Green Archers opened the third quarter with a seven point blitz that padded their lead to 13 at 51-38, a quick time out by Black underscored the importance of tactical coaching to spell a breather, provide instructions and pointers, and perhaps more importantly, to break the momentum.

Escueta emerged from the huddle with a look of grim determination. In years past, he could be found languishing on the bench. Of his fabled Red Cubs team it was only Jayvee Casio who had made a name for himself in the senior ranks. But the last four games have seen him come off the bench a literal x-factor opponents weren’t ready for. And in the game that mattered to all. In a game that could spell a literal win-or-go-home owing to the hardships one had to face on its way to a finals berth, Escueta had his imprint on almost every final Ateneo play en route to the match’s heart-stopping conclusion.

He nailed back-to-back treys that brought the blue cheer several decibels higher. What had the makings of a La Salle blowout instead saw a torrential downpour of three-pointers with Chris Tiu accounting for a pair and Eric Salamat another.

The lead was down to one at 65-64 by the third quarter’s end with all signs pointing to a momentum shift. But these are the Green Archers – they of the dreaded killer press and startling end game poise. After Nkemakolam gave Ateneo its first taste of the lead since the first quarter at 66-65, DLSU responded with their own 9-2 blast that gave them some breathing room at 73-66.

And then there was one final salvo of threes.

Escueta found Salamat open at the left top of the arc for another booming rainbow that leveled the score at 75-all. The Bandana Kid’s subsequent spin move on Bader Malabes and kiss off the glass gave the blue and white a two-point lead. And Chris Tiu (a team high 19 points 7 boards and 2 dishes) who was on target all game long hit a pair of baskets that kept Ateneo in the thick of the fight.

With a little over a minute left in the game clock, Salamat (15 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals) returned Escueta’s earlier assist by finding him wide open at the right side of the rainbow’s arc. Bang. 86-83 Ateneo.

Although Casio restored the lead back to the greenies 87-86, Zion Laterre chalked up one more crucial stat – a big time block (his third of the match to go with 4 rebounds) that started Ateneo’s fifth and last fastbreak of the game. Escueta drove the lane and drew the Green Archers into the shaded area before throwing the rock out to Tiu who – and here was where the La Salle crowd gasped in horror – saw daylight. 89-87 and you can kiss those protests – what will they file and shave after this – goodbye.

The real animo
In the green side of the coliseum, there was a banner that read: the real animo. It is something that has rankled older alumni as it was a motto attached to the Ateneo way back in the golden NCAA days. But Eric Salamat provided a steady answer: “That’s okay because it resides in our heart and you can see it in our actions. They can put up all the streamers they want.”

After the referees decided to make it a close game by sending Chris Tiu and Nonoy Baclao to the bench with some bad calls early in the first quarter, Eric Salamat together with Arao and Nkemakolam kept the Blue Eagles in the game with some timely hits and defensive stops. "Laban lang tayo," egged on Arao.

During the post game celebration as the Blue Eagles celebrated its fourth eliminations round sweep of the Green Archers, Chris Tiu hugged Escueta who finished with a career game of 16 points, 1 rebound, and four assists. He was his usual smiling self. “I was just lucky,” he humbly offered when asked about those huge three point shots (3-for-3) and that last big assist to Tiu for the game winner. “I was just lucky. This was for the community.”

So Jobe? How about luck?

“Nah, we didn’t need it,” said the Fil-Nigerian. “But they could have used some.”



Author's dedication: For Fr. Nemy Que, S.J. and Coach Gabby Severino who both keep the Team B players believing. And for Coach Norman... I'm damn proud of him. Animo Ateneo!