Ateneo crushes UP: A game of moments and the next man up

A game of moments and the next man up.

by rick olivares

There’s that moment… at the 2:38 mark of the fourth period. The ball goes down the post to Adrian Wong who is being guarded by UP’s Juan Gomez De Liaño. Wong wraps a behind the back bounce pass to a cutting Matt Nieto who goes hard. UP’s Bright Akhuetie challenges and probably forces the miss. Javi Gomez De Liaño loses sight of Will Navarro who is outside the box. The second year Blue Eagle forward swoops in and as he did on two other plays in the first period puts back the miss for a bucket, 79-58, Ateneo.

The Fighting Maroons call for time. Nieto chest bumps Navarro who has taken up defensive position just right about the halfcourt line. There’s the teamwork, unselfishness, and the explosion of emotions of a team on a mission.

There’s also the movement.

Flashback to the first period at the 7:04 mark, Nieto has the ball at the left corner pocket with UP’s David Murrell on him.  Navarro, Angelo Kouame, and Thirdy Ravena are all outside. Wong is underneath the basket with UP’s Jun Manzo on him. 

A missed jumper by Nieto will mean UP has the inside track on the rebound with Kobe Paras, Akhuetie, and JD Tungcab watching for any incursions. In one motion, Wong clears out heading into the right corner. Manzo whirls around and gives chase. It is that exact moment that Nieto blows by Murrell and goes hard to the basket. Akhuetie and Tungcab do not realize what is going on. Paras reaches in but he too is too late. And-one, 8-5, Ateneo. Tungcab claps his hands knowing they botched that defensive possession.

Among the eight starting point guards in the league, Nieto plays the fewest minutes outside NU’s Enzo Joson. Others play longer minutes and take more shots. But no one is more efficient than Ateneo’s court general. And he isn’t even in the Top 10 in terms of assists and assists to turnover ratio. You will find him second in steals. But in perhaps that unofficial stat in the pass that leads to the assist, you will find Nieto (that is a stat that is gaining popularity in football – the pass that leads to the assist).

Furthermore, he knows how to get his teammates into the game. No one set up Anton Asistio better than Matt. And with Thirdy struggling this first round, he gave that perfect bounce pass to Ravena for a lay-up that helped him get going. That is something the other point guards in Tyler Tio and SJ Belangel need to learn in a hurry -- to dibble less, and create plays for their teammates.

Navarro is another… everyone knows what they are getting from Kouame and Ravena (for a while he looked like he was headed for another bad game but he played well in the second half as he began to attack instead of settling for jumpers), but 6'5" forward is crucial to Ateneo's game plan, rotation, and title aspirations.

In the preseason leading up to Season 81, Navarro was starting. He had his moments but largely struggled losing his spot to Raffy Verano. With Verano unavailable, Navarro has stepped up. In his one year playing for San Beda, he would rifle in shots from the outside (usually the top of the three-point arc). He would oft get chastised for that by then head coach Jamike Jarin for not making good decisions with the ball. This year, he has been crucial. After Kouame, Thirdy Ravena and Navarro are the next shot blockers with six apiece. Once more after Kouame, and Gian Mamuyac, he has the third best field goal percentage on the team. His strong play and quiet efficiency has helped Ateneo to its unblemished run.

While in their six previous games, Ateneo got the job done largely through their defense, this was the game – the law of averages, I suppose – where their offense blew the opponent away. Ateneo shot 48% from the field, was 10-14 from the free throw line, and hurt UP from inside (52-28) and outside (27-19).

Yes, the 1-3-1 zone befuddled UP, but the offense was devastating.

They flashed it versus Adamson in the very first game of the season. They blitzed La Salle then stepped off the gas pedal. This game, they went full throttle for an 89-63 win to go to 7-0; the last undefeated team in the league.

In the biggest match of the season (so far), Ateneo was up to the task. While they get up for all foes, they have heard what has been said that UP is ready to unseat them with their cavalcade of stars.

The problem is, they are facing a team. A team where everyone knows their role and they are on a mission.

No discussion about the game cannot pass without that incident where UP head coach Bo Perasol was tossed for consecutive technical fouls after he charged into the referee over what he thought was a non-call after Kouame’s block on Jerson Prado. Coach Bo is a very good friend of mine, but I must admit that it was disappointing. That was in the midst of an Ateneo run where they led by 12. Whether there was a foul or not, he shouldn’t have exploded like that. There were botched calls on Akhuetie as well (see his non-offensive foul on Adrian Wong for one). I can imagine the pressure he is under and I feel for him. Whether it was done purposely to get his team fired up or he was really pissed or even both… well, it backfired. 

When he was coach of Ateneo and he charged into the stands after he was heckled by a La Salle fan, I was right behind him. I had his six. We have remained friends even after he moved to his alma mater. For this game, I thought that the frustrations were boiling up. They were staring at a rout and well, it left a bad taste in the mouth. 

And to think that this is just an elimination round game. 

With many teams clogging the middle of the pack, the second round is going to get a lot testier.