My thoughts about Ateneo’s 2nd round win over UE

My thoughts about Ateneo’s 2^nd round win over UE

by rick olivares

Ateneo bagged its eighth win in 10 matches, a 90-70, blowout of the UE Red Warriors. With a tough stretch against them – all teams vying for Final Four slots – the Blue Eagles need every win, every one stepping up, and every one back.

Here are my thoughts about that game against UE.

It was a game of two halves.

One team went out to throttle the foe in the first half, the other went out for the last 20 minutes at for large parts, lost focus. I know this happens with teams that post huge leads where they step off the gas pedal.

I certainly do not think they survived the game because of a huge lead. They went right back and seized it. But they should have not allowed UE back in the game.

You can point to giving the bench their minutes. Of course, but go out and execute not turn the ball over and play safe ball. They played it safe while UE attacked the rim non-stop. At one point, UE rattled off 12 straight points; what was once a 32-point lead was down to 20. The lead went down to 17 and back up to 26 to take the starch out of the Red Warriors.

And a win, as they say, is a win.

Tyler Tio and Raffy Verano have really picked it up a notch.

In the three games where he has started in the place of the recuperating Matt Nieto, Tio has posted the following averages in 25 minutes of play: 12 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 3.3 assists versus zero turnovers!

He played in only six matches of the seven games of the first round where his numbers looked like this: 2.2 points, 0.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 9.8 minutes. He has stabilized Ateneo’s offense with his presence, shed his indecisiveness, and well, he regained that moxie we saw two seasons ago during his Blue Eagles debut in the summer leagues.

You have to give this young man a lot of credit because at a time when Ateneo is hard hit by injuries and the one-game suspension to Thirdy Ravena, they are going through a rough stretch. Some have stepped up to the plate such as Angelo Kouame and Raffy Verano (who have been both outstanding), but Tio has stabilized them.

There is a reason why Verano is in the starting unit. He does a little of everything – scoring, defense, passing, and providing leadership. But in my opinion, it is his activity that gives life to the starting unit. He throws himself around and plays great defense. He thinks of the team before himself and that selflessness manifests in many ways. Like perhaps Matt Nieto and Isaac Go, Raffy is an extension of what Tab Baldwin wants in a basketball player.

Like Tio, when Verano is in – the team is stabilized.

For all their manpower losses, Ateneo is slowly finding its form with others stepping up.

Good teams find ways to win; not excuses. These three wins in the absence of the Nieto brothers and one for Thirdy Ravena is massive. It would be easy to have folded. And if this doesn’t kill you, it makes you better. But now, the last four games are all tough ones.

And Tab Baldwin needs all hands on deck.

Do you remember the time when Rich Alvarez was suspended for a game and Sonny Tadeo stepped into the starting line-up and plugged the hole at the four-spot? Ateneo won that game – a crucial one – and it helped propel them to the title.

That is how Tyler has been. That is how Raffy Verano is. And that is how Jolo Mendoza (on a day when Anton Asistio couldn’t find the range) and Gian Mamuyac did.

And all the wins have been double digits triumphs. If you watched them during the summer, they had their share of ugly games before romping with the title. The trophies and the scintillating games in the William Jones Cup just blur our memories, but not every game was as seamless as we like to believe they were. They are doing fine.

As I understand it, Ateneo should be back to full strength in time for the much-anticipated rematch with Adamson. But there is still National University to hurdle.

The Bulldogs handed themselves a lifeline when they beat UST in their last outing. This team is stocked with young talent. No way can this game be taken lightly.