mission accomplished. the ateneo blue eagles won their fourth consecutive uaap men's basketball championship exactly a week ago, and the experience of winning never really gets old. nonetheless, this championship was not give on a silver platter. players worked hard to win, coaches planned and run practices to perfection, and games were waged like wars - with the blue and white emerging victorious in the end. and so, here are five people who have been instrumental in the team's four-peat feat this season:
(NOTE: some of the photos were from last year's thanksgiving mass at the gesu... that's why some of them have me making the "three" sign instead of the "four." hahahaha)
1. nico salva - this has to be nico's breakout season. known as a slasher, he developed a mid-range shot in his arsenal that gave quite a boost in the blue eagles' offensive attack as it helped in freeing their big men as well as creating match-up problems for the opponents. and what a way to punctuate the season with an exclamation point by bringing his a-game at the biggest stage of them all: playing a "perfect" game 1, bringing those hot hands in game 2 (if i remember it right, he did not miss a shot until the second half), and delivering the killer blows in the end game. together with justin chua, he has won every championship while wearing the ateneo jersey. and with a fifth and final year coming, next year's king eagle will surely want to end his playing years with a fifth championship ring.
2. the super rookies - kiefer ravena and greg slaughter were no ordinary rookies this season. they have won their respective three-peats before playing this season for the blue eagles: ravena won three straight championships with the eaglets while slaughter got his own three-peat with the uv lancers in cessafi. they both added a new dimension to ateneo basketball: a cat-quick combo guard with a knack for stealing the ball and tap-ringing the rock to the basket, and a dominant big man that is reliable in the post and the paint. in the finals, "the phenom" was just too much for the feu guards to handle while greg "slaughtered" their big men in the shaded area (those throwdowns in game 1 accentuated that crippling second half run). indeed, these two super rookies and their highlights made this championship run memorable.
3. the graduates - this championship is especially dedicated to three players who stuck it out with the blue eagles through its ups and downs: kirk long, emman monfort, and bacon austria.
kirk's enterprise in the past five years will surely be remembered with a variety of highlights: the game-winning shot against ust in his rookie year, his conversion from being an offensive player in faith academy to a defensive stopper in ateneo, the improbable shots that somehow found its way to the bottom of the net (to name some: the three all the way from the parking lot in the final four against ust in season 72, the double-clutch trey against la salle last season, the carousel-like fastbreak in last year's game 1, and the lock-down defense to the feu guards this season), the notorious hair color changes (the bruno cut, the john cena cut, the justin bieber cut, gold and platinum colors for championships, and the infamous "buwan ng wika" hair), and the shrieking teenage girls when rolly manlapaz calls his name in the arena in the post-chris tiu era. mr. mvp already mentioned future possibilities for him: an exemption to play in the pba or even a stint in smart gilas. but i would love to see another american in the coaching staff of any ateneo basketball team.
emman monfort is the living witness to the saying "my time will come." too bad mark tallo was not patient enough in dealing with coach norman black's roster rotations. i remember him in his rookie year as that diminutive guy riding the bench for most of season 69. he had limited playing time behind the likes of jai reyes and yuri escueta in season 70. he even spent a year in team b in season 71. he served as back-up to jainamite in season 72. and finally, he was the man on the point in seasons 73 and 74. i had the opportunity to play with him in the college covered courts, and i knew then that this guy would make be a big-time player soon. and i was right. he is surely the example of how handwork and patience pay dividends in the end. we'll surely see you with ryan buenafe in the n-lex road warriors in the forthcoming season of the pba d-league.
bacon austria was one of those players whom the sixth man had a "love-hate relationship" with. he exemplifies another "norman black conversion story." he was mvp in the juniors division with the blue eaglets, playing the forward-center positions. but in the seniors, he had to learn how to bring the ball down the playing court as some sort of a point-forward and to be a defender against big opposing guards. he embraced the role coach norman gave him, and he remained humble yet hardworking for a different purpose: to be a better role player. his numbers must have taken a dip this season (maybe it was the number change in his jersey) and people in the gallery might be shouting "no" at the back of their heads every time he launches a shot. but bacon will surely be remembered on how it is to win a championship: one needs not to be a superstar in the team, but one has to work hard to live up to his role in the rotation. they say, "everything is better with bacon." and the last four championships surely were better with him.
i also tip my hat to three bench players who stepped up in the finals series against feu: tonino gonzaga, jp erram, and juami tiongson. zags has been the energizer bunny this year for the team, from the first few games of the fil-oil pre-season tournament until the finals of season 74. it was his daredevil drive and timely three in game 2 that ignited the blowout and sealed our fourth consecutive championship. jp erram also took quite an adjustment this season, from being a back-up center last season to a third-stringer behind greg slaughter and justin chua. yet it was his response to the call of duty that truly mattered. in the finals, his presence added height and wingspan to the blue eagles' interior defense. finally, juami tiongson… who would have thought i would write something about him in the finals?! i mentioned before that i am not a fan of shoot-first point guards, but juami's shots in the championship were daggers lunged into the heart of the tamaraws. i really do think though that if he wants to take over monfort's position as a starter, he must hold his guns and facilitate ball distribution first. but then again, when the size of the basket becomes the size of the ocean, who would not want to shoot the ball and see his name in the papers the following day with a whole number beside it?
he is the best collegiate coach in the land, hands down. he brought a legacy of thirteen championships to the blue and white, four of which were successive titles in the uaap. he initiated what is now the best varsity basketball program in the philippines through solid player development and quality rookie recruitment. moreover, he and the rest of the coaching staff must be credited for countless ateneo comebacks in the last four years bolstered by a timely adjustments in the second half of games, which were plotted in the dugout's whiteboard during halftime breaks. i remember that people were asking for his head when they lost to la salle in the step-ladder of season 70. but most likely these people will be the ones seated in their monoblock chair under their own tent and holding a can of san mig light in tonight's bonfire! definitely he would like to enjoy this championship for now, but surely the drive for 5 in season 75 is already at the back of his mind.
it was surely another memorable season for me, my friends, and the rest of the blue eagles' sixth man. winning surely never gets old. every championship has its own distinct taste, but i will remember this one as a title sealed and delivered by one of the most dominant rosters in ateneo basketball history. but no one surely wants his thumb empty or remained folded next season. until then, let us enjoy this championship celebration the way the players and the rest of the team do.
see you tonight at the bonfire!
BLUE EAGLE, THE KING!
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