Summer Catch

Ateneo 65 vs. UE 64
Nike Summer League Seniors Championship
by rick olivares

June 15, 2008
Philsports Arena

Norman Black slumped on the wall outside the cramped Ateneo dugout. He took copious swigs from an energy drink bottle between answering post-game questions. His black golf shirt was drenched in sweat and if he was anywhere within the realm of exhaustion he did not show it for he flashed the smile that only a championship can bring.

When he entered the dugout, his jubilant and once more victorious players let out a collective whoop. The team came back from the brink of a near-disheartening loss to upend tournament favorite University of the East in the 2008 Nike Summer League. “Where are my coaches,” the fourth year mentor asked and one by one the team officials all filed in. He thanked them for a job well done then singled out his players.

“Happy birthday, Noy… and great game.” It was forward Nonoy Baclao’s birthday and the second-year forward, grinning from ear to ear was telling no one in particular that this made for a great present.

Some 20 minutes earlier it seemed that any post-game dinner would be somber and subdued. From the opening whistle where the Warriors’ James Martinez banged in a triple from the left quarter court, UE spotted Ateneo a lead that went as high as 12 points.

When the Blue Eagles would make a run, the lead would invariably go back up as the Ateneans would shoot themselves in the foot with a gagging cacophony of turnovers. Even worse, UE was hitting treys as if the basket was as wide as an ocean.

At they parlayed that terrific field goal percentage into a 37-30 halftime lead.

Leave it to Norman Black to be Ateneo’s fount of optimism. “Look here, fellas. UE’s shooting something like 65% yet we’re only down by seven. It’s important that we get those stops and we execute much better. Then you’ll have a chance to get back in the game.” He further instructed the team to challenge every shot and pass while playing a shifting man-zone.

The Blue Eagles took heed at the resumption of the game. Yet while they blanketed UE’s outside artillery and got their opponent’s starters in foul trouble, Ateneo was still getting clobbered off the boards.

Dindo Pumaren’s wards repulsed one rally after another but with under two minutes left in the match, the lead was down to five 64-59. A Rabeh Al-Husseini putback and a gutsy drive by rookie Ryan Buenafe into the heart of UE’s defense netted the fifth and last foul of the Warriors’ jumping jack center Elmer Espiritu. The former San Sebastian Staglet nailed both shots to shave the lead to a more manageable 65-63 deficit.

And that meant that it was time for another pulsating finish.

The core of the team has been through numerous for-the-win situations in the last three years and if anything, it has given the Ateneans a quiet confidence in their abilities. They’ve won some big games now all they needed to validate that belief was getting the job done en route to Season 72 of the UAAP which was a mere two weeks away.

The Blue Eagles were getting stops but not the ball. In one UE offensive, they hauled down two offensive rebounds and got a third crack at the basket in one possession when the ball was incorrectly ruled off Al-Husseini’s fingertips. “Pero hindi kami nag-panic,” admitted Baclao. “Sabi lang namin, kailangan ng isa pang stop.”

After sparkplug Paul Lee’s set up hastened UE’s possible doom when his kick out pass to James Martinez instead found teammate Toto Bandaying on the bench, it gave Ateneo one more chance at salvaging a win with 35 seconds left.

Black called time to map out their last offensive.

Nine times out of ten will get you a play for the last shot to be taken by Chris Tiu. The thing is, our opponent’s know that and as a result, he will in all likelihood be tightly guarded. After Al-Husseini set a back pick for the Blue Eagle captain, the defense collapsed on Tiu who had the option of dumping it to Nonoy Baclao for a roll towards the basket.

Unlike their first game back after a couple of weeks of training in the United States where La Salle forced the ball out of Tiu’s hand, this time the skipper saw daylight.

Bang. A fifteen footer that was all net. Rally complete. Ateneo had the lead for the first time in the game. 65-64. Now they could have the victory if they stopped UE’s last chance to win their second tournament championship in as many days.

With 8.7 seconds left, the Blue Eagles wisely used their fouls to shave as much set up time as they could for the Red Warriors to set up a decent shot. But with a hand in his face, Paul Lee, who torched San Beda the day before with an incandescent display of shooting to wrap up the FilOil Pre-Season Tournament, threw up an airball. And with the final buzzer a hail of confetti floated around the dejected and the victorious.

“Kaya mo pala tumalon ng ganoon,” ribbed second assistant Gene Afable to Buenafe referring to his big time drive on Espiritu and his ensuing two free throws.

“Hindi ko nga alam na kaya ko gawin yun,” joked the prized recruit out of San Sebastian. “Sana next time and-one siya.”

“San Miguel. San Miguel,” chorused Al-Husseini and Chris Sumalinog inside a raucous locker room.

I bade Norman Black with another handshake and congratulations and left him with another cheery thought. “Don’t get used to that,” I said referring to his second off-season title with the other being the Collegiate Champions League won almost immediately after the last UAAP season. “I wouldn’t mind becoming greedy about championships.”

“That’s what I’d like to do because I’d love to continue coaching this team,” said the American mentor as he opened the door to the dugout. “But say this, even when we were down with about four minutes left, we never stopped hustling. Never stopped competing. Now that’s heart. A fighting heart.”

Ateneo 65 – Al-Husseini 18, Tiu 11, Buenafe 9, Salamat 7, Escueta 7, Baldos 6, Baclao 5, Austria 2, Salva 0, Chua 0, Gonzaga 0

UE 64 – Martinez 11, Lee 9, Lingganay 8, Espiritu 7, Llagas 7, Bandaying 6, Thiele 6, Etrone 4, Zamar 4, Reyes 2, Tagarda 0, Alabanza 0, Arellano 0

Quarterscores: 13-25, 30-37, 47-53, 65-64

Tournament Mythical Selection (exclusive for players wearing the Swoosh; other brands do not qualify because it doesn't look good for them)
G- Eric Salamat (Ateneo)
G- Andy Barocca (Far Eastern University)
F- PJ Barua (De La Salle University)
F- Rico Maierhofer (De La Salle University)
C- Perry Llagas (University of the East)

MVP – Eric Salamat