because kiefer does not stop counting at four
the 75th season of the uaap will be starting this coming weekend. hosted by national university with the theme "unbreakable", uaap season 75 promises a higher level of competition especially in men's basketball as every collegiate team in the league beefed up their rosters, gained a considerable amount of experience and learning from summer leagues and training, and prepared themselves for another intense and grueling season of the country's most prestigious collegiate league.
all eyes will surely be on the ateneo blue eagles, who are gunning for their fifth consecutive men's basketball championship this coming season. still picked as favorites, the loyola-based dribblers have performed quite well since the post-season of season 74 and continued their winning ways in the pre-season of season 75. the blue eagles placed second in the collegiate champion's league and won the university games championship, while some key players even participated in the southeast asian games and still won a gold medal for the philippines. this summer, the hail mary squad placed third in the fil-oil flying v pre-season cup and became champions of fr. martin summer league.
but it wasn't a perfect pre-season for the blue eagles, as most games were close enough to be decided in the last three to four possessions. the team took losses in the fil-oil pre-season cup against san beda (by just two points), la salle (in a game that was sent to overtime by jeron teng's 3 pointer), and nu (where a barrage of three-pointers from a lucky nu squad caught the blue eagles flat footed in the semis). some might say that ateneo took a hit with the departure of kirk long, emman monfort, and bacon austria who were considered as key cogs in the past four championship runs. but with much of the team returning for another year, new faces out to make an impact in the team, and coach norman black seeking a triumphant exit in the league before returning to the pros, the blue eagles are surely in for an exciting drive to be "glori-fived."
and so, here are five wishes that i have for the blue eagles as they open their bid to a five-peat and make history in season 75:
the flash's grandson finally found his way "home"
1. better point guard play. losing monfort to graduation has to be one of the bitter pills that ateneo had to swallow at the end of season 74. he is not just their steadiest ball handler last but also one of ateneo's best defenders especially against the league's top guards. his departure leaves quite a big hole in the line-up. seniority-wise, juami tiongson takes the place of monfort in the rotation. but despite his clutch shots in the finals last season, he seems to be more of a shoot-first point guard than a distributor, which point guards should be in the first place. a key addition to the team is nico elorde, a former dlsz standout (with gwyne capacio) and one-time green archer, who is more of a defensive-minded point guard and facilitator in the offense. i personally prefer elorde over tiongson to start as point guard, but i won't be surprised to see kiefer ravena getting converted into a point guard this season. this reminds me of how jai reyes, a shooting guard in high school, played started at the point in seasons 71 and 72.
oping has quite big shoes to fill in
2. player development. ateneo is known as one of the teams that is able to make their players improve their skills for the current season and take their game a notch higher a season later. again, finding a replacement to two solid defensive forwards in long and austria will be crucial this season. oping sumalinog, who struggled last year after taking some time off from injury, is expected to be ateneo's main defender for opposing shooting guards and wingmen. tonino gonzaga is still expected to come off the bench or even start in some games to provide the spark in both offense and defense. frank golla is known as a "wall" in the defensive side, but i hope he already developed some short jumpers and baby hook shots in the likes of doug kramer and rabeh al-hussaini. jp erram's emergence as a scorer during the univesity games and even in the pccl would be a great complement to his defensive prowess. i would also like to see capacio and von pessumal get more playing time this season.
guess who's back... back again
3. rookies spotlight. the blue eagles might have lost to the green archers in the jeron teng sweepstakes, but an interesting crop of rookies are joining the team this season. it was expected for the blue eagles to add big men in their line-up this season with the impending departure of greg slaughter, nico salva, and justin chua. heading the blue eagles' rookie class is kris porter, who led the ateneo blue eaglets to a final four finish last season, and g-boy babilonia, a mainstay from the philippine u16/18 youth team. though they may only have little playing time this season, it would be good to give them the much-needed exposure as they are expected to fill the hole in the middle in the next few seasons. of course, the returning ryan buenafe must not be forgotten in the equation. the finals mvp of season 73 returns with a vengeance, losing a bit of weight and bulk in his frame. his offensive ability is surely a plus to the already-potent ateneo offense, and it is my hope that his defensive skills took some polishing during the off-season.
nickobe tries to make it 5-for-5
4. last hurray for the graduates. i hate to burst the bubble as early as now, but this season will be the last for a lot of key players who played a crucial role in all four title runs. gone after this season would be slaughter, chua, salva, sumalinog, and gonzaga. slaughter decided to take his final year of eligibility to contribute to the blue eagles' drive for five. salva, last season's finals mvp, has developed his mid-range and even outside game, and he is surely making the most of what kobe bryant taught him during the latter's trip in the philippines. chua took the sacrifice of riding the bench last season but embraced that role and such paid dividends for him and the team. sumalinog and gonzaga had their respective stories of emerging as impact players off the bench as they solidly contributed to the team whether in stats or in basketball's intangibles. this season is their last chance to don that blue and white jersey, and they might as well make the most of it. if things fall into its proper place, they could earn the very rare distinction of winning championship in each of their playing years, not only in the ateneo but even in the uaap. they might as well give their all in season 75.
one more gatorade bath for black
5. 5peat. the feeling of winning never gets old, and if you're an ateneo fan, the past four seasons have just been gratifying. it's always enjoyable to hear or even say the words "see you in the annual bonfire!", but there won't even be one without the architect behind the championships that the community enjoyed in the past four years. coach norman black has done a tremendous job of drawing plays and making key adjustments during game in his 6 years as head coach. more than that, his work of motivating the players and keeping them focused and hungry for a championship year after year is just superb. though he is bound to leave the team after the season and even if he will remain as a fixture in the ateneo bench for the next two seasons as a consultant, a 5th straight championship is indeed the perfect finale that coach norman could have. for now, nothing is for sure what beholds the team beyond the norman black era, but it is important to focus on the task-at-hand. expect the blue eagles to go all the way this season to write a new chapter in the ateneo basketball history.
the drive for five begins this sunday at 4pm as they tackle the adamson falcons in a rematch of last season's "one biggest fight", where the birds of san marcelino broke their 29-game losing streak to the blue eagles and similarly deprived ateneo of sweeping the elimination round. despite ateneo winning the championship and adamson losing their flight in their final four match-up against feu, somehow the loss still has to be avenged. with a new season coming up, we do not have an idea what will happen until the final buzzer sounds. and so, the time has come for the blue eagles to give their best shot and push the pedal to the metal in their quest for a fifth straight championship.
GO ATENEO!
ONE BIG FIGHT!
BLUE EAGLE, THE KING!
the drive for five begins this sunday at 4pm as they tackle the adamson falcons in a rematch of last season's "one biggest fight", where the birds of san marcelino broke their 29-game losing streak to the blue eagles and similarly deprived ateneo of sweeping the elimination round. despite ateneo winning the championship and adamson losing their flight in their final four match-up against feu, somehow the loss still has to be avenged. with a new season coming up, we do not have an idea what will happen until the final buzzer sounds. and so, the time has come for the blue eagles to give their best shot and push the pedal to the metal in their quest for a fifth straight championship.
GO ATENEO!
ONE BIG FIGHT!
BLUE EAGLE, THE KING!
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