A Tall Order
If Ateneo wants to achieve a rare three-peat, they have to beat the biggest and baddest team in the UAAP – the FEU Tamaraws. Unfortunately, it doesn’t figure to be easy as the Tams have owned the Blue Eagles in the UAAP’s second season.
by rick olivares
History is littered with the carcasses of many an Ateneo Blue Eagle team that has undertaken the quest for three straight basketball titles in the NCAA and UAAP. It isn’t impossible as other teams – the UE Red Warriors, De La Salle Green Archers, UST Glowing Goldies, San Beda Red Lions, and San Sebastian Stags have previously achieved the feat. Ateneo too has done it before but that was when the NCAA was young but the trifecta of titles from 1931-33 gives them the distinction of being the first to achieve the milestone.
The Red Lions derailed the great teams of Rusty Cacho, Nes Mayoralgo, and Mike Littaua as coached by Bing Ouano in 1955. And following the back-to-back crowns of 1957 and ’58, the Blue Eagles failed to defend their crown when they were hard hit by the graduation of Ed Ocampo, Jimmy Pestaño, Bobby Littaua and other key players in 1959.
Steve Watson, Padim Israel, Fritz Gaston, and Joy Carpio led the great Ateneo teams of the mid-70’s. After taking the 1975 and 76 crowns, they lost three players to national team duty in 1977 that allowed San Beda to prevent them from sweeping the eliminations. That set up a finals where Ateneo lost in three games.
In the 1980’s, Ateneo proved that they were over their refugee status when they won in 1987 and 1988 behind Jun and Eric Reyes, Jay Gayoso, Danny Francisco, and Olsen Racela. Unfortunately, the following year owing to the graduation of many key players, they were unable to make the championship round.
And now 21 years after the last attempt the Blue Eagles are back in the hunt for a three-peat in October.
Standing between them and history are the hungry Far Eastern University Tamaraws who not only have a three-peat of their own (2003-05) but also have just as many college crowns although they have yet to taste championship glory since Arwind Santos ruled the roost in Morayta.
The Tamaraws not only won the elimination round series but also are one up on the Blue Eagles with a 2-1 head-to-head match-up in the UAAP’s second season.
To wit, in 2000, despite having the twice to beat advantage as the second seed, Ateneo fell to the Tamaraws of Rysal Castro, Gerard Jones, Cesar Catli, and Leo Avenido. And in 2003, the blues were exhausted from a tough series with La Salle in the Final Four making them easy pickings for Santos, Dennis Miranda, and Mark Isip.
The only time the Blue Eagles beat FEU was in 2001 when they were en route to their finals showdown with DLSU.
However, when it comes to Finals match-ups, the only teams that Ateneo has beaten in the UAAP Finals have been UE (twice) and DLSU (thrice). They are 0-1 versus FEU and UST.
That is all historical fact and trivia but if you tell that all to current Ateneo head coach Norman Black he will be quick to point out that he never had a hand in those previous campaigns.
Against this current crop of Tamaraws, Ateneo is 3-3 in the last three years. And this Season 73, the Blue Eagles lost both elimination round matches 72-69 and 74-72.
Both loses came off mistakes in the final minute of the game.
It isn’t just against FEU. It seems that the momentary lapses in concentration and ability to finish have been recurring with alarming frequency. There was the first round meltdown against La Salle in the first round. UE literally ran out time when they staged a last minute rally. But in the second round they completed the job. The UST Growling Tigers nearly duplicated UE’s feat in the second round match up. Lastly, in the Final Four match with Adamson, the Falcons dropped 22 points in the final quarter but the lead was too huge for them to overcome.
There are a couple of reasons why that has happened. The most obvious is the team has different players closing out game this year. In the homestretch of Season 72, the starters – Jai Reyes, Eric Salamat, Kirk Long, Nonoy Baclao, and Rabeh Al-Hussaini – were on the floor during crunch time.
Three-fifths of that unit are now in the pro loop so others have filled that gap.
While the team is still the top defensive unit, in an effort to defend the lane where it has been more vulnerable, the perimeter defense has suffered resulting in many a late game three-pointer by the opponent. Blue Eagle defenders have made the mistake of fighting screens underneath instead of going over. In the Final Four, they rectified that season-long shortcoming.
Teams seemed to have figured out that they way to beat Ateneo is to rain triples on the team with shooters arrayed outside the arc.
The lack of a dependable low-post scorer has made life easier for other teams as they now throw two defenders on players who can create their own shots like Ryan Buenafe or Eric Salamat or to guard against an outside threat like Emman Monfort.
With no go-to player, Ateneo has beaten teams in different ways this year and with different faces day in and out. The team has rode the hot hand whether it be Monfort, Buenafe, Long, or Salamat.
Against FEU, four players have consistently averaged 28.6 minutes against the Blue Eagles – Ryan Garcia, Reil Cervantes, Aldrech Ramos, and Paul Sanga. It is no coincidence that these four always play well against Ateneo. The four put up 52.5 points against Ateneo. That accounts for 75% of their total points. Save for Garcia in the second round meeting, all four have not been in foul trouble meaning that the Blue Eagles have been unable to attack them individually and force them into foul trouble. When Garcia rode the bench in the final game of the eliminations, Terrence Romeo picked up the scoring slack.
Eric Salamat is the only Blue Eagle scoring in double digits as he averaged 11.3 in 14 games. The Tamaraws have three – Garcia with 16.8, Ramos with 11.5, and Cervantes with 11.0. Garcia is also the league’s leading scorer and he scores 16.5 against Ateneo.
In the two matches, Ateneo also had four players who scored in double digits against FEU. But only two of them – Ryan Buenafe and Nico Salva – were consistent for both games. Some waxed hot and cold between the two games -- Salamat, rookie Arthur dela Cruz, Kirk Long, and Justin Chua. Ateneo will need more consistent scoring support behind Buenafe and Salva especially from the center position and that means Chua, Frank Golla, and Jason Escueta if he can keep from getting called for flagrant fouls. If Long and Salamat also pile in the points throughout the series then that’s better for Ateneo.
The veteran crew that plays longer minutes while putting the better numbers on the board will win the series.
Ateneo makes a living out of running FEU to the ground as they averaged 14.5 fastbreak points in the two games. The Tamaraws have only six fastbreak points in the two games. Their game is more of a halfcourt set where they utilize to devastating effect the post game of Ramos and Cervantes while Sanga bombards from the outside. With a triangle of death awaiting foes, Garcia loves to slash inside where he can create for himself or his teammates.
The Tamaraws have ruled the rebounding department. The difference is ghastly – 51.0 to 38.5. The Blue Eagles do their damage early by running but when the game is on the line, both – maybe due to the circumstances of the match – resorted to a more deliberate halfcourt game.
The one reason why FEU has been successful against Ateneo is theirs are the only big men who attack the Blue Eagles with terrifying results. Think about it – who among the other teams have taken advantage of the absence of Al-Hussaini and Baclao?
FEU holds the advantage in the series. If Ateneo can outrebound the Tamaraws then they will put themselves in a better position to win the series. All the usual intangibles are there --- heart, who wants it more, bench play, breaks (not to mention officiating), but whoever nabs Game One will take home the trophy.*
* Six of the last seven Game One winners went on to win the championship (UST won the next two games after losing the opener to Ateneo in 2006).
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