Post by The Varsitarian.
Showing posts with label Ateneo Blue Eagles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ateneo Blue Eagles. Show all posts
September 19, 2013
September 15, 2011
#sasobranglakasngateneo
ito na ang bagong logo ng Twitter:
Special thanks to FireQuinito for initiating the jinx!
Special thanks to FireQuinito for initiating the jinx!
September 11, 2011
Sweep dreams are made of these
The perfect season is one of the rarest feats in sports. The longer the season, the more improbable it happens. In the local college sports scene, factors unique to the setting had made the sweep sweeter with its added perks.
The local college hoops scene has seen quite a number of elimination round sweeps and near-sweeps. Since the start of the Final Four format in 1993, there had been two sweeps and two near-sweeps. UE and UST swept the competition in 2007 and 1993, respectively; Ateneo and La Salle missed the sweep on the last games of the 2011 and 2002 seasons, respectively. In the NCAA, San Beda swept the eliminations on their to the title last year, while their finals opponents SSC-R was the last to do the feat prior to San Beda, in 1997 (although that was prior to the NCAA using the Final Four format).
Interestingly, the sweeps and near-sweeps had always involved the same teams, and not always the teams that contend year in and year out. And the near-sweeps were always convincing defeats for the would-be sweeper, while the sweeps would always be close games.
In 1993, Adamson led by Marlou Aquino had the privilege of derailing the Growling Tigers 14-0 sweep. They failed that time, but they managed to stay close, losing to only seven points, the second smallest advantage by the Dennis Espino-led Tigers team in that year. That game was personal for most of the Falcons as they previously tried out for the Espana team before being cut. In those days, sweeping the eliminations meant an automatic championship; this cut short the tournament so the league changed the rules, making the sweeping team qualify for the best-of-3 Finals outright.
We now all know that Aquino did not sorta attend his classes, so the league suspended the Falcons next year; this ushered in the DLSU-UST rivalry that lasted until the millennium ended. Interestingly, while UST ushered in their four-peat with a sweep, the Archers sought to extend their four-peat with a sweep in 2002.
DLSU entered the final game of the eliminations spotless, against Ateneo which had to win to have a chance at the twice to beat advantage. In that game, DLSU got blown out by Ateneo in the third quarter. UE won on their next game denying the Eagles of the incentive, but the Eagles beat them anyway, thanks to Gec Chia and "the shot" on their way to their first title since 1988.
While everyone expected DLSU to top the standings in 2002, and even sweep the eliminations, virtually no one saw UE sweeping the 2007 elimination round. In the finale, UE faced, guess what team, La Salle. Unlike the 2002 game, this game went into OT, complete with Brian Ilad making Lasallians proud by being like Manny Pacquiao.
And so we make it to the 2011 Ateneo near-sweep. Adamson relived its role of being the spoiler. Like the near-sweep games before, this was a blowout in favor of the spoiler, with Ateneo suffering its biggest defeat in... I dunno? Ever since Norman Black coached them?
What's unique with the UAAP sweep scenarios is that while you'd expect Ateneo, La Salle and even UST and UE to figure in such situations, you'd never expect teams such as Adamson to participate twice -- granted Adamson's participation is not the result of a good basketball program throughout the years, it goes to show you that for a team to figure in these sweeping situations, you'd also need a little bit of luck.
For the NCAA, the circumstances are more glaring. There had only been two instances were a sweep happened: 1997 San Sebastian and 2010 San Beda. In both times, both teams faced each other in the final elimination round game and in the finals.
The 1997 San Sebastian capped off their 5-peat with a sweep of the eliminations, beating SBC, only to be beaten by the Red Lions in Game 1 of the Finals. SSC made use of the twice to beat advantage given to the sweeper, winning Game 2.
In 2010, San Beda faced the Stags in the elimination round finale. Like in the UAAP when the would-be sweeping team won, the Red Lions had a convincing 8-point win to clinch the thrice to beat advantage in the Finals. Unlike the 2007 Red Warriors, however, the 2010 Red Lions even had more convincing Finals wins, winning both games via double-digits.
In 2011... well I won't jinx.
The local college hoops scene has seen quite a number of elimination round sweeps and near-sweeps. Since the start of the Final Four format in 1993, there had been two sweeps and two near-sweeps. UE and UST swept the competition in 2007 and 1993, respectively; Ateneo and La Salle missed the sweep on the last games of the 2011 and 2002 seasons, respectively. In the NCAA, San Beda swept the eliminations on their to the title last year, while their finals opponents SSC-R was the last to do the feat prior to San Beda, in 1997 (although that was prior to the NCAA using the Final Four format).
Interestingly, the sweeps and near-sweeps had always involved the same teams, and not always the teams that contend year in and year out. And the near-sweeps were always convincing defeats for the would-be sweeper, while the sweeps would always be close games.
In 1993, Adamson led by Marlou Aquino had the privilege of derailing the Growling Tigers 14-0 sweep. They failed that time, but they managed to stay close, losing to only seven points, the second smallest advantage by the Dennis Espino-led Tigers team in that year. That game was personal for most of the Falcons as they previously tried out for the Espana team before being cut. In those days, sweeping the eliminations meant an automatic championship; this cut short the tournament so the league changed the rules, making the sweeping team qualify for the best-of-3 Finals outright.
We now all know that Aquino did not sorta attend his classes, so the league suspended the Falcons next year; this ushered in the DLSU-UST rivalry that lasted until the millennium ended. Interestingly, while UST ushered in their four-peat with a sweep, the Archers sought to extend their four-peat with a sweep in 2002.
DLSU entered the final game of the eliminations spotless, against Ateneo which had to win to have a chance at the twice to beat advantage. In that game, DLSU got blown out by Ateneo in the third quarter. UE won on their next game denying the Eagles of the incentive, but the Eagles beat them anyway, thanks to Gec Chia and "the shot" on their way to their first title since 1988.
While everyone expected DLSU to top the standings in 2002, and even sweep the eliminations, virtually no one saw UE sweeping the 2007 elimination round. In the finale, UE faced, guess what team, La Salle. Unlike the 2002 game, this game went into OT, complete with Brian Ilad making Lasallians proud by being like Manny Pacquiao.
And so we make it to the 2011 Ateneo near-sweep. Adamson relived its role of being the spoiler. Like the near-sweep games before, this was a blowout in favor of the spoiler, with Ateneo suffering its biggest defeat in... I dunno? Ever since Norman Black coached them?
What's unique with the UAAP sweep scenarios is that while you'd expect Ateneo, La Salle and even UST and UE to figure in such situations, you'd never expect teams such as Adamson to participate twice -- granted Adamson's participation is not the result of a good basketball program throughout the years, it goes to show you that for a team to figure in these sweeping situations, you'd also need a little bit of luck.
For the NCAA, the circumstances are more glaring. There had only been two instances were a sweep happened: 1997 San Sebastian and 2010 San Beda. In both times, both teams faced each other in the final elimination round game and in the finals.
The 1997 San Sebastian capped off their 5-peat with a sweep of the eliminations, beating SBC, only to be beaten by the Red Lions in Game 1 of the Finals. SSC made use of the twice to beat advantage given to the sweeper, winning Game 2.
In 2010, San Beda faced the Stags in the elimination round finale. Like in the UAAP when the would-be sweeping team won, the Red Lions had a convincing 8-point win to clinch the thrice to beat advantage in the Finals. Unlike the 2007 Red Warriors, however, the 2010 Red Lions even had more convincing Finals wins, winning both games via double-digits.
In 2011... well I won't jinx.
October 1, 2010
Racing Stripes: The Dawn of a New Empire
Seriously, it'll get worse once Kiefer Ravena graduates.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles are your three-pe... wait, I can't use that since Pat Riley owns the rights. Oh, hasn't anyone emailed Pat Riley yet? The three-pe... you know what is, is plastered on those championship T-shirts.
So I won't make this a rant. Well, maybe it might. For those who said the refs helped them, FEU choked, or that Emman Monfort is Joe Lipa's long lost son, screw you. It was fate, I tell you.
Saw that trey by Ryan Buenafe? That was fate. He missed more three point shots this year than Shaquille O'Neal missed freethrows his entire career. But he nailed it. Swoosh.
The Tamaraws have no answer. RR Garcia was nowhere. Ramos and Cervantes were missing freethrows. Even Romeo, OK, I won't make a Shakespearean joke.
And this is just the beginning. The MVP-financed teams (well, up to this year when MVP found a boatload of cash he started financing other teams) are doing pretty well. Ateneo with its deep coffers can overachieve as long as either Kiefer Ravena signs up (LOL, sign up. It's like professional basketball), or other teams won't get Taiwanese/Chinese/Hong Konger centers. San Beda just swept the NCAA eliminations like Sunshine Corazon's mother. Even the Sys won't be able to match Ateneo now.
And so, with the impending domination of the evil empire, all we can do is for a team to be like the Boston Red Sox. I sure do hope it's not that team that resides in place that has the same name as the salts of malic acid.
BTW, the results of the UAAP Playoffs poll: Which team will win the UAAP Season 73 men's basketball championship?
(1) FEU Tamaraws: 13
(2) Ateneo Blue Eagles: 11
(3) Adamson Falcons: 1
(4) La Salle Green Archers: 1
Forget about basketball, champions naman kami sa cheerdance woohoo!: 0
Thanks for voting!
August 22, 2010
Week 7 Top 10: The Turning Point
Four more games left per team in the UAAP season, while God knows how many are left in the NCAA tourney. UP is gone, Perps is waiting eagerly for their turn, and maroon teams have been winless so far. And it's mid-late-August already.
Also, as much as possible, I'm restricting these "weekly top 10" on their records for the week, not their overall record. Because you know, it's the Weekly Top 10.
(BTW, if you're looking for the nifty graphics I previously used, the program I'm using got corrupted so the template was lost. Wahaha. So I got lazy making a new one. Instead, let's just use some photo remotely related to the title. Like the one at the top.)
#10. CSB Blazers
2-6, 1-0 this week (defeated UPHSD 79-70)
If Jojo Lastimosa was nicknamed "Jolas", so should Carlo Lastimosa be nicknamed "Colas"? CSB is an easy team to beat. Stop Colas, and you'd win. How do you stop Colas? Let some bigger guy guard him.
#9. NU Bulldogs
4-6, 1-1 this week (lost to Ateneo 69-49, defeated UP 61-59)
I've heard the ending of the UP-NU game was mighty awesome. If someone can narrate to us what really happened, we'd be completely grateful.
#8. Letran Knights
3-6, 1-1 this week (defeated EAC 88-65, lost to JRU 76-60)
Letran can be described as one roster spot away from being at least a playoff contender. They need big men. Since Mark Andaya left the team, the Knights have had difficulties with teams with tall lineups. They have to find centers and power forwards for them to advance further.
#7. De La Salle Green Archers
6-4, 1-1 this week (defeated UP 84-63, lost to Ateneo 74-57)
You know what was the turning point in their loss against Ateneo? Ferdinand entering the game. That's when Ateneo stepped on the clutch and their import started making shooting the lights out. Hey at least Ferdinand can be like Malabes, he can run away to Indonesia once his playing years are maxed out by La Salle.
#6. Arellano Chiefs
4-5, 1-0 this week (defeated Mapua 61-54)
The Chiefs are on the rebound, thanks to Leo Isaac's coaching. Beating Mapua was a step forward if they want to qualify in the semis.
#5. UE Red Warriors
3-7, 1-0 this week (defeated Adamson 71-63)
Like Arellano, all is not lost for the Warriors team. All they have to do is... well, win games. If they can beat Adamson, and they, and I mean everyone not named Paul Lee, step up, then they can catch up on the Final 4. The Warriors have a strong guard combo in Lee and Martinez Chongson has to figure out ways on how to exploit this.
#4. JRU Heavy Bombers
7-2, 2-0 this week (defeated Mapua 61-54 and Letran 76-60)
The Bombsquad is on the loose, and only the two top NCAA teams can beat them now, now that Meneses now can win games yet setting probably a record number of turnovers. If you win yet blowout your opponent with 30+ turnovers/game, that's something. Only that it won't work with SBC and SSC. If Meneses wants the twice to bear advantage, he has to prevent these turnovers.
#3. FEU Tamaraws
9-1, 1-0 this week (defeated UST 76-67)
After a bad loss from Adamson, the Tams made sure the Tigers won't come back. FEU's semifinal stint is in the bag, and the twice to beat looking good, it's the winning in the semis -- something Capacio has yet to do -- would take them to the next level.
#2. Ateneo Blue Eagles
8-2, 2-0 this week (defeated NU 69-49 and La Salle 74-57)
Two blowout wins and they're #2? Seriously, what are you sniffing? Haven't you seen how they made the Bulldogs look like puppies, and the Archers look like... what's the junior equivalent of an Archer? Toddler Archer?
#1. San Beda Red Lions
8-0, 1-0 this week (defeated San Sebastian 88-76)
Why they heck they are #1? They're undefeated. And they make the then undefeated Stags look like drunk guys on a stag party. Sudan Daniel can match up with anyone thrown at him, and they successfully shut down Calvin "The Spitfire" Abueva with their interior defense thanks to the Semarad brothers.
Player of the week: Kirk Long (Ateneo). Did you know that Kirk Long's real name is Jeffrey, and his birthday is indefinite?
Runner-up: Referees at the UP-NU game. These guys deprived us of what could've been the longest basketball game in history. Weeee.
Scrub of the week: Rolly Manlapaz. Can someone scream "THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS SHOOTING FORWARD" to this guy. Thank you.
Runner-up: Ferdinand (La Salle). 0 points vs. Ateneo. I wonder why Pumaren is still putting him on the floor.
August 10, 2010
The good, the bad and the ugly: The 3 Ps and the exchange students
More mid-terms (or prelims for those who don't have mid-terms but call it prelims) stuff as the UAAP gears up for the homestretch. The part where the "other" school in QC cheers for their neighbors; the time the "tough" school gets dirty; the time that R. Papa Street, instead of being a haven of super special sandwiches is the scene of a crime; and UST is just flooded because the angels urinated.
The good:
FEU's RR Garcia
RR Garcia reminds me of Wowowee. No. I won't go for the obvious. FEU will the championship unless one of these things happens: 1.) He gets injured, 2.) The mafia shoots him, 3.) The mafia gives him tons of money.
Ateneo's Kirk Long
The stats won't tell you that Kirk Long is Ateneo's go-to-guy -- Ateneo has a more-or-less balanced scoring, with Nico Salva the only one in double digits -- but once Long has a long spell at the bench, the opponent would surely take advantage. Ask La Salle.
Special mention also to Eman Monfort who has continued on improving after his breakout performance last season.
Adamson's cardiac kids
Adamson and Ateneo are always compared to each other. Both schools start in letter "A," have the color blue as the school color and even have birds of prey as their respective mascots. In fact, the Falcons are like the poor man's Eagles, with a solid crew backed by a reputable head coach. But perhaps, like Ateneo, they'd have to find someone who will take charge in crunch time. But who? Alvarez? Camson? Nuyles?
The bad:
The Wonder Twins: Ferdie and Webb
Sometimes you'd wonder why Dindo Pumaren even allowed Ferdinand to suit up for the game. Have they ran out of players? The exchange student hasn't returned from Indonesia? Ferdie is on loan and the rupiah is still not fully paid? What? And don't ask me about Joshua Webb. Where is the exchange student from Mandaluyong? No, I'm not referring to La Salle Green Hills (he came from DLSZ). Or are these two plants from the mafia so that La Salle's opponents would win?
I won't use a doggie metaphor. Promise.
If the UAAP has a salary cap, the Bulldogs, with all of their uh... "purchases" (let's face it, La Salle did this too in the old days when DLSZ was more famous for their perky girls than their basketball team) are underperforming. They could've won against Adamson and UST, and they almost lost to UP (more on them later). Perhaps they are this year's Adamson last year, where the Falcons can't seem to catch a break and wound up a game behing UST in fifth place. The 'Dogs have the pieces; they even have an African manning up the middle. They'll just need to jell some more to finally let go of their "underdog" label.
(There, I said it. Sue me. LOL)
Three Ps to Win: Pido, Pe, Portuna (hahaha)
UST has been written off the playoff picture as soon as the opening day. But for one reason or another (mostly due to UE's woes, more on them later) the Tigers have found themselves in the hunt, but barely. The Tigers' chances rest on three people: Pe, Pido and Foruna. The rookie out of Ateneo HS Paulo Pe will anchor UST's interior defense when Camus needs a break. Coach Pido probably needs to tinker with the system since the current system is sorta not working (in 2006, the run-and-gun offense wasn't working so he slowed it down, which worked). As for the sweet-shooting Jeric Fortuna, after the UE win, every time Fortuna had more three-point field-goals than turnovers, UST wins. So, play smart, don't turn over the ball, and set up the shots.
The ugly:
Red Warriors' swan song?
You know this team is ugly when Paul Lee scores 27 and they'd still lose. Granted, UE may have lost some of their players, but they shouldn't be performing this ugly. What has happened? Does Lawrence Chongson have a grasp of what is happening? Can he utilize his players effectively? Are this season's Red Warriors just not that good enough? What?
You tax pesos at work
Sometimes you can't just feel sorry anymore for the UP Fighting Maroons. Prior to the Gregorios handling UP, the team very much deserved the "Fighting" monicker. Even if they don't win at least they made the opponents play hard. After the Gregorios, the team had fallen into a deep rut; it's like UP is the microcosm of the government, it never does anything right. This year was supposedly the year UP will rise up from the ashes, with a summer spent in the States, a hotshot recruit from the States Mike Silungan and the hotshot recruit from Mandaluyong Joshua Saret. With those recruits at least you'll hope for "some" wins but all we see are Oblation's balls.
Aboy Castro filing an indefinite leave of absence cum resigning did not help. A new coach at the middle of season almost never works, except when the new coach is somehow connected to the old system. Now what UP people can look forward to is for the basketball season to pitifully end so that it's cheerdance day. Hey at least they can win that, if that amounts for something.
The good:
FEU's RR Garcia
RR Garcia reminds me of Wowowee. No. I won't go for the obvious. FEU will the championship unless one of these things happens: 1.) He gets injured, 2.) The mafia shoots him, 3.) The mafia gives him tons of money.
Ateneo's Kirk Long
The stats won't tell you that Kirk Long is Ateneo's go-to-guy -- Ateneo has a more-or-less balanced scoring, with Nico Salva the only one in double digits -- but once Long has a long spell at the bench, the opponent would surely take advantage. Ask La Salle.
Special mention also to Eman Monfort who has continued on improving after his breakout performance last season.
Adamson's cardiac kids
Adamson and Ateneo are always compared to each other. Both schools start in letter "A," have the color blue as the school color and even have birds of prey as their respective mascots. In fact, the Falcons are like the poor man's Eagles, with a solid crew backed by a reputable head coach. But perhaps, like Ateneo, they'd have to find someone who will take charge in crunch time. But who? Alvarez? Camson? Nuyles?
The bad:
The Wonder Twins: Ferdie and Webb
Sometimes you'd wonder why Dindo Pumaren even allowed Ferdinand to suit up for the game. Have they ran out of players? The exchange student hasn't returned from Indonesia? Ferdie is on loan and the rupiah is still not fully paid? What? And don't ask me about Joshua Webb. Where is the exchange student from Mandaluyong? No, I'm not referring to La Salle Green Hills (he came from DLSZ). Or are these two plants from the mafia so that La Salle's opponents would win?
I won't use a doggie metaphor. Promise.
If the UAAP has a salary cap, the Bulldogs, with all of their uh... "purchases" (let's face it, La Salle did this too in the old days when DLSZ was more famous for their perky girls than their basketball team) are underperforming. They could've won against Adamson and UST, and they almost lost to UP (more on them later). Perhaps they are this year's Adamson last year, where the Falcons can't seem to catch a break and wound up a game behing UST in fifth place. The 'Dogs have the pieces; they even have an African manning up the middle. They'll just need to jell some more to finally let go of their "underdog" label.
(There, I said it. Sue me. LOL)
Three Ps to Win: Pido, Pe, Portuna (hahaha)
UST has been written off the playoff picture as soon as the opening day. But for one reason or another (mostly due to UE's woes, more on them later) the Tigers have found themselves in the hunt, but barely. The Tigers' chances rest on three people: Pe, Pido and Foruna. The rookie out of Ateneo HS Paulo Pe will anchor UST's interior defense when Camus needs a break. Coach Pido probably needs to tinker with the system since the current system is sorta not working (in 2006, the run-and-gun offense wasn't working so he slowed it down, which worked). As for the sweet-shooting Jeric Fortuna, after the UE win, every time Fortuna had more three-point field-goals than turnovers, UST wins. So, play smart, don't turn over the ball, and set up the shots.
The ugly:
Red Warriors' swan song?
You know this team is ugly when Paul Lee scores 27 and they'd still lose. Granted, UE may have lost some of their players, but they shouldn't be performing this ugly. What has happened? Does Lawrence Chongson have a grasp of what is happening? Can he utilize his players effectively? Are this season's Red Warriors just not that good enough? What?
You tax pesos at work
Sometimes you can't just feel sorry anymore for the UP Fighting Maroons. Prior to the Gregorios handling UP, the team very much deserved the "Fighting" monicker. Even if they don't win at least they made the opponents play hard. After the Gregorios, the team had fallen into a deep rut; it's like UP is the microcosm of the government, it never does anything right. This year was supposedly the year UP will rise up from the ashes, with a summer spent in the States, a hotshot recruit from the States Mike Silungan and the hotshot recruit from Mandaluyong Joshua Saret. With those recruits at least you'll hope for "some" wins but all we see are Oblation's balls.
Aboy Castro filing an indefinite leave of absence cum resigning did not help. A new coach at the middle of season almost never works, except when the new coach is somehow connected to the old system. Now what UP people can look forward to is for the basketball season to pitifully end so that it's cheerdance day. Hey at least they can win that, if that amounts for something.
August 8, 2010
Week 5 Top 10: Mid-term Grades
Or as I call it, prelims since we didn't call them as mid-terms. So whatever.
Wait, most NCAA teams still have 2 more games left before they end their first round. The UAAP teams, who started 2 weeks later, are already finished. Perhaps the NCAA guys want to extend their season so that they can play their playoffs on weekends... at sembreak, when everyone is too drunk to watch games.
1. FEU Tamaraws (7-0, defeated UST 65-57)
If the Tams are so good, they have a choice: sweep the eliminations and wait for a month before playing in the virtual best-of-5 finals with them up 1-0, or lose so thay they won't be rusty but still pulverize the #4 team. That is, if they're that good.
2. San Beda Red Lions (6-0, defeated Arellano 92-57)
One way to train in a run-and-gun game is to practice those circus shots once the transition defense catches up. The Lions have mastered this perfectly and there is no stopping them, even if you make the shot.
3. San Sebastian Stags (6-0, defeated CSB 75-74)
The Stags almost had it coming. This sets up for an exciting 1st round finale vs. San Beda if they both continue undefeated.
4. Ateneo Blue Eagles (5-2, defeated UP 78-53 and UE 80-73)
Ateneo ended the 1st round with a bang. As expected since they're up against the two tailenders. The next games against Adamson and La Salle are virtual playoffs for #2. The Eagles must know their go-to guy in close situations to prevent what happened in the first La Salle game.
5. Adamson Falcons (5-2, defeated UE 69-56 and La Salle 70-68)
Finally, a breakthrough for Adamson as they had finally found ways to win close games. Now if they can do it again, and defeat Ateneo, they'll be in their first twice-to-beat advantage in history. The weakest link: the point guard position.
6. Mapua Cardinals (5-2, defeated EAC 82-68)
The Cardinals' two losses came from San Beda and Baste. Like Adamson, they'd have to beat the top 2 teams in their league to have a fighting chance of securing their first twice to beat advantage. Their next game vs. JRU will be the measuring stick if they can beat the other teams.
7. La Salle Green Archers (4-3, defeated by Adamson 70-68)
La Salle's MVPs: Ferdinand and Joshua "The Special One" Webb. The haterz love you lots.
8. Letran Knights (2-4, defeated CSB 70-54)
Aside from Letran winning, the other important thing that happened during their game was the Studio 23 debut of courtside reporter Myka Basco. ABS-CBN sure knows how to please their core audience. Now Letran has to devise ways of scoring to please their own core audience, since offense sells tickets.
9. NU Bulldogs (3-4, defeated UP 70-66)
Either the Bulldogs are a super awesome team, or UP is extremely crappy that's why they lost that 20-point plus lead. And I said UP would win.
By the way, Mike Silungan used to play for the interbarangay in our place as an import. My uncle's scouting report: loves to shoot, hates everything else. Yeah, instead of NU I discussed about UP.
10. EAC Generals (2-4, defeated by UPHSD 78-66)
The Generals seem to have found their shooting touch, beating Perps and CSB a week ago. Now if they manage to beat the likes of Arellano and Letran they can have a respectable finish.
Wait, most NCAA teams still have 2 more games left before they end their first round. The UAAP teams, who started 2 weeks later, are already finished. Perhaps the NCAA guys want to extend their season so that they can play their playoffs on weekends... at sembreak, when everyone is too drunk to watch games.
1. FEU Tamaraws (7-0, defeated UST 65-57)
If the Tams are so good, they have a choice: sweep the eliminations and wait for a month before playing in the virtual best-of-5 finals with them up 1-0, or lose so thay they won't be rusty but still pulverize the #4 team. That is, if they're that good.
2. San Beda Red Lions (6-0, defeated Arellano 92-57)
One way to train in a run-and-gun game is to practice those circus shots once the transition defense catches up. The Lions have mastered this perfectly and there is no stopping them, even if you make the shot.
3. San Sebastian Stags (6-0, defeated CSB 75-74)
The Stags almost had it coming. This sets up for an exciting 1st round finale vs. San Beda if they both continue undefeated.
4. Ateneo Blue Eagles (5-2, defeated UP 78-53 and UE 80-73)
Ateneo ended the 1st round with a bang. As expected since they're up against the two tailenders. The next games against Adamson and La Salle are virtual playoffs for #2. The Eagles must know their go-to guy in close situations to prevent what happened in the first La Salle game.
5. Adamson Falcons (5-2, defeated UE 69-56 and La Salle 70-68)
Finally, a breakthrough for Adamson as they had finally found ways to win close games. Now if they can do it again, and defeat Ateneo, they'll be in their first twice-to-beat advantage in history. The weakest link: the point guard position.
6. Mapua Cardinals (5-2, defeated EAC 82-68)
The Cardinals' two losses came from San Beda and Baste. Like Adamson, they'd have to beat the top 2 teams in their league to have a fighting chance of securing their first twice to beat advantage. Their next game vs. JRU will be the measuring stick if they can beat the other teams.
7. La Salle Green Archers (4-3, defeated by Adamson 70-68)
La Salle's MVPs: Ferdinand and Joshua "The Special One" Webb. The haterz love you lots.
8. Letran Knights (2-4, defeated CSB 70-54)
Aside from Letran winning, the other important thing that happened during their game was the Studio 23 debut of courtside reporter Myka Basco. ABS-CBN sure knows how to please their core audience. Now Letran has to devise ways of scoring to please their own core audience, since offense sells tickets.
9. NU Bulldogs (3-4, defeated UP 70-66)
Either the Bulldogs are a super awesome team, or UP is extremely crappy that's why they lost that 20-point plus lead. And I said UP would win.
By the way, Mike Silungan used to play for the interbarangay in our place as an import. My uncle's scouting report: loves to shoot, hates everything else. Yeah, instead of NU I discussed about UP.
10. EAC Generals (2-4, defeated by UPHSD 78-66)
The Generals seem to have found their shooting touch, beating Perps and CSB a week ago. Now if they manage to beat the likes of Arellano and Letran they can have a respectable finish.
January 17, 2010
2009 yearender: Top 10 local sports stories
Local sports had their own fair share of shining moments this year: epic (I love that word) upsets, dominating performances, comebacks deserving of a Guinness, and sheer stupidity worth watching a YouTube over and over again.
#10: Lady Archers are the volley queens
Thanks to the Shakey's V-League, everyone now cares about the UAAP's women's volleyball championship. La Salle dispatched Adamson in 4 sets (the last set with a scoreline of 25-13), and FEU returned the favor with a dissimilar 4-set win over UST. MVP Manilla Santos and Rookie of the Year Melissa Gohing faced off with best setter May Morada, all-around dependable girl Rachel Anne Daquis, and upcoming star Cherry Vivas. Game 1 went the distance with FEU winning. But La Salle came out with a dominating performance in Game 2 to force a winner-take-all Game 3. Inside an overflowing and newly-renamed Filoil Flying V Arena, the Lady Archers outlasted the Lady Tamaraws, who had to play with Daquis riding the bench to hand La Salle their fifth women's volley title.
#9: Seventh heaven for Pac-Man
Manny Pacquiao ended the 2009 leg of his "North American tour" with an 11th round knockout of Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico. Cotto wasn't even punching in the latter stages of the fight, and Kenny Bayless took pity on the Puerto Rican. Twitter even had a "#cottosface" hash tag to celebrate the momentous event. Even Cotto's mom wouldn't like #cottosface.
#8: Uber epic Green fail
Ah, the usual palusots of people: many veterans left so we have a crappy team. That argument only holds water if there are no replacements, or "rookies" (for some reason, I don't like using that word in an amateur, or in this case, collegiate, context. Use freshmen, sophomore and the like instead.) that came in. And with DLSU's awesome recruiting capabilities, even PBA teams would turn green with envy, you can't count out DLSU in any season. But alas, one of their recruits came back to the loving arms of his father (pardon the pun), and while the remaining recruits weren't bad (in fact they were, as expected, impressive), the vets who remained had such crappy performances supporters were wondering what Franz Pumaren was thinking when he placed those "vets" in pivotal minutes. And with the last game vs. NU where DLSU could've
forged a playoff vs. UST and/or Adamson for the last playoff berth, the Green Archers proved to everyone that they were not worthy of a playoff spot. At least for this year.
#7: Bella Swan would proud of the Tigresses
The Tigresses made the Shakey's V-League their playground by sweeping all two championships given by the league. UST won the 1st conference on 3 sets, with the 2 winning sets via a 3 sets to none scoreline, beating the San Sebastian Lady Stags. On the 2nd conference, the Tigresses didn't give the Lady Falcons a chance, sweeping the series 2-0 on identical 3-1 scores. Rhea Dimaculangan, Mary Jean Balse and Aiza Maizo made UST an unstoppable force in the V-League, now with the leagie-high 5 championships.
#6: MVP for the Ages
PLDT head honcho Manny V. Pangilinan, which also makes him team owner of the Talk 'N Text PBA team, had a banner year in sports, with the only disappointment coming from the Red and White school near the Palace. In the PBA, the Tropang Texters, relied on, ironically a Lasallian, Mark Cardona to carry the cudgels for the team. Cardona had a monster semifinal series against San Miguel, in which he capped off a three-pointer to seal the deal, and the defensive rebound as insurance to put the Texters in the Finals. Facing the Aces, which lead 3-2, Cardona scored game high on points for the rest of the way to avenge the then Phone Pals' loss against the Aces in the 2007 Fiesta Conference. Cardona's exploits gave him his first pro Finals MVP award.
#5: Sheer Blue dominance
If this Ateneo team failed to win it all this year, it would've been the epic disappointment of the decade, the epic upset for the team that would've done the feat, and MVP, in the words of the immortal Green (Over)Mind, MVP would've plucked Pat Riley out of retirement to coach Ateneo next season. What did the Blue Eagles is probably the most formidable starting line-up in the latter half of the decade: Al-Hussaini, Baclao, Buenafe, Reyes and Tiu, plus sixth man Salamat, who'd be a starter in any other collegiate team in the country.
#4: The return of the Beermen
Like Ateneo, San Miguel is a team built to win championships. However, with the fickle nature of the PBA playoffs (virtually ALL teams participate, leading to upsets), San Miguel has won only once in the two-conference era, despite finishing within the top three after the elimination round in five occasions. However, they did finish #1 in the 2009 Fiesta Conference, and had a relatively easy semifinal series against the Burger King Whoppers, coached by old adversary Yeng Guiao. Facing sister team Barangay Ginebra, and I won't imply cooking happened, the Beermen showed that their latest championship was a well-deserved one, winning the last two games being behind 2-3 in the series, and the seventh game was a dominating performance, even Ginebra fans stayed for the awarding ceremonies.
#3: Bata and Django weave their magic
The World Cup of Pool arrives at Asia, and the Philippines has been a constant host of WPA events. Pinoys flocked to cheer to their two teams, Philippines "A" of Ronnie Alcano and Dennis Orcollo, and Philippines "B" of Efren Bata Reyes and Django Bustamante. In the end, only one Philippine team remained, and Bata and Django summed it up: they weren't playing for themselves, they played for the country. And they won to the delight of the fans who stayed late at night to watch the final.
#2: The fall of the team from the West Coast
What do Sudan Daniel, Rome dela Rosa, and Ginno Soliman have in common, aside from playing for San Beda? They all came from the city of Angels -- no, not Angeles City, but from Los Angeles, California. The home of the Lakers and Kobe. And they fell to the Central Luzon Combine called the San Sebastian Golden Stags, and a Canadian by the name of Jonathan Semira.
#1: Pac-Man demolishes a white dude
There's something about white guys and boxing. The Klitschko brothers are the only white boxers that had been universally recognized as heavyweight champions since God knows when. In the lower divisions, Hispanics, Blacks and Asians dominate the field. Americans had fared badly -- white Americans have been searching for the "Great White Hope." The Brits produced one, by the name of Ricky Hatton. And knowing the rowdy nature of British fans, Hatton acquired a massive fanbase. And with Pinoys not left behind, they all rallied behind the country's "National Fist". Americans were reduced to mere spectators as two foreigners slugged it out in boxing's capital -- Las Vegas. Too bad the preview shows on HBO were longer -- the fight lasted a mere 6 minutes in boxing time.
#10: Lady Archers are the volley queens
Thanks to the Shakey's V-League, everyone now cares about the UAAP's women's volleyball championship. La Salle dispatched Adamson in 4 sets (the last set with a scoreline of 25-13), and FEU returned the favor with a dissimilar 4-set win over UST. MVP Manilla Santos and Rookie of the Year Melissa Gohing faced off with best setter May Morada, all-around dependable girl Rachel Anne Daquis, and upcoming star Cherry Vivas. Game 1 went the distance with FEU winning. But La Salle came out with a dominating performance in Game 2 to force a winner-take-all Game 3. Inside an overflowing and newly-renamed Filoil Flying V Arena, the Lady Archers outlasted the Lady Tamaraws, who had to play with Daquis riding the bench to hand La Salle their fifth women's volley title.
#9: Seventh heaven for Pac-Man
Manny Pacquiao ended the 2009 leg of his "North American tour" with an 11th round knockout of Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico. Cotto wasn't even punching in the latter stages of the fight, and Kenny Bayless took pity on the Puerto Rican. Twitter even had a "#cottosface" hash tag to celebrate the momentous event. Even Cotto's mom wouldn't like #cottosface.
#8: Uber epic Green fail
Ah, the usual palusots of people: many veterans left so we have a crappy team. That argument only holds water if there are no replacements, or "rookies" (for some reason, I don't like using that word in an amateur, or in this case, collegiate, context. Use freshmen, sophomore and the like instead.) that came in. And with DLSU's awesome recruiting capabilities, even PBA teams would turn green with envy, you can't count out DLSU in any season. But alas, one of their recruits came back to the loving arms of his father (pardon the pun), and while the remaining recruits weren't bad (in fact they were, as expected, impressive), the vets who remained had such crappy performances supporters were wondering what Franz Pumaren was thinking when he placed those "vets" in pivotal minutes. And with the last game vs. NU where DLSU could've
forged a playoff vs. UST and/or Adamson for the last playoff berth, the Green Archers proved to everyone that they were not worthy of a playoff spot. At least for this year.
#7: Bella Swan would proud of the Tigresses
The Tigresses made the Shakey's V-League their playground by sweeping all two championships given by the league. UST won the 1st conference on 3 sets, with the 2 winning sets via a 3 sets to none scoreline, beating the San Sebastian Lady Stags. On the 2nd conference, the Tigresses didn't give the Lady Falcons a chance, sweeping the series 2-0 on identical 3-1 scores. Rhea Dimaculangan, Mary Jean Balse and Aiza Maizo made UST an unstoppable force in the V-League, now with the leagie-high 5 championships.
#6: MVP for the Ages
PLDT head honcho Manny V. Pangilinan, which also makes him team owner of the Talk 'N Text PBA team, had a banner year in sports, with the only disappointment coming from the Red and White school near the Palace. In the PBA, the Tropang Texters, relied on, ironically a Lasallian, Mark Cardona to carry the cudgels for the team. Cardona had a monster semifinal series against San Miguel, in which he capped off a three-pointer to seal the deal, and the defensive rebound as insurance to put the Texters in the Finals. Facing the Aces, which lead 3-2, Cardona scored game high on points for the rest of the way to avenge the then Phone Pals' loss against the Aces in the 2007 Fiesta Conference. Cardona's exploits gave him his first pro Finals MVP award.
#5: Sheer Blue dominance
If this Ateneo team failed to win it all this year, it would've been the epic disappointment of the decade, the epic upset for the team that would've done the feat, and MVP, in the words of the immortal Green (Over)Mind, MVP would've plucked Pat Riley out of retirement to coach Ateneo next season. What did the Blue Eagles is probably the most formidable starting line-up in the latter half of the decade: Al-Hussaini, Baclao, Buenafe, Reyes and Tiu, plus sixth man Salamat, who'd be a starter in any other collegiate team in the country.
#4: The return of the Beermen
Like Ateneo, San Miguel is a team built to win championships. However, with the fickle nature of the PBA playoffs (virtually ALL teams participate, leading to upsets), San Miguel has won only once in the two-conference era, despite finishing within the top three after the elimination round in five occasions. However, they did finish #1 in the 2009 Fiesta Conference, and had a relatively easy semifinal series against the Burger King Whoppers, coached by old adversary Yeng Guiao. Facing sister team Barangay Ginebra, and I won't imply cooking happened, the Beermen showed that their latest championship was a well-deserved one, winning the last two games being behind 2-3 in the series, and the seventh game was a dominating performance, even Ginebra fans stayed for the awarding ceremonies.
#3: Bata and Django weave their magic
The World Cup of Pool arrives at Asia, and the Philippines has been a constant host of WPA events. Pinoys flocked to cheer to their two teams, Philippines "A" of Ronnie Alcano and Dennis Orcollo, and Philippines "B" of Efren Bata Reyes and Django Bustamante. In the end, only one Philippine team remained, and Bata and Django summed it up: they weren't playing for themselves, they played for the country. And they won to the delight of the fans who stayed late at night to watch the final.
#2: The fall of the team from the West Coast
What do Sudan Daniel, Rome dela Rosa, and Ginno Soliman have in common, aside from playing for San Beda? They all came from the city of Angels -- no, not Angeles City, but from Los Angeles, California. The home of the Lakers and Kobe. And they fell to the Central Luzon Combine called the San Sebastian Golden Stags, and a Canadian by the name of Jonathan Semira.
#1: Pac-Man demolishes a white dude
There's something about white guys and boxing. The Klitschko brothers are the only white boxers that had been universally recognized as heavyweight champions since God knows when. In the lower divisions, Hispanics, Blacks and Asians dominate the field. Americans had fared badly -- white Americans have been searching for the "Great White Hope." The Brits produced one, by the name of Ricky Hatton. And knowing the rowdy nature of British fans, Hatton acquired a massive fanbase. And with Pinoys not left behind, they all rallied behind the country's "National Fist". Americans were reduced to mere spectators as two foreigners slugged it out in boxing's capital -- Las Vegas. Too bad the preview shows on HBO were longer -- the fight lasted a mere 6 minutes in boxing time.
December 31, 2009
Decadender: 10 greatest Pinoy college hoops playoff games
Ah, the decade of the 2000s (2000 to 2009), included the tail end of the second millennium (2000 -- the new millennium actually began on 2001, unless Jesus was born at year 0) brought Pinoy college hoops to new heights: the revival of the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry, with FEU and UST figuring in the mix, epic Letran-PCU battles, the resurrection of San Beda's basketball program, and suspensions due to forged documents. The old decade ended with a glimmer of hope -- an impending expansion of the oldest collegiate league, and UE on the verge of winning it all, well, they're always on the verge of winning it all so...
#10: Game 2 of the 2005 UAAP Finals: FEU 73, La Salle 71
There was one reason why Arwind Santos didn't go pro in 2005: to avenge what happened to the Tams in 2004. Arwind got his wish when the FEU and La Salle met again in a rematch the year before: only this time, FEU now has to counter the exploits of Joseph Yeo.
In this season, FEU, La Salle and Ateneo were the top 3 teams, but only two teams will advance to the Finals: FEU was beaten by Ateneo at the tail end of the eliminations but that wasn't enough as they left the Blues and the Greens behind. The arch-rivals faced each other in a playoff for the second seed, and La Salle maintained their mastery over the school from Katipunan with a blowout win. The Archers ended the Eagles' misery with another blowout at the semifinals to forge a Finals rematch with the Tamaraws, who were taken to the limit by the UE Red Warriors.
Game 1 ended with the heroics of Arwind Santos in the final minutes; This was also the game where Lasallians would rather forget(?) when Manny Salgado hit Arwind at the back of his head, then ran away screaming like a little girl .Arwind again saved the team in Game 2, also in the final play to deny the Green Archers a win in the Finals series. The next day, the La Salle scandal was exposed in the papers. No, it was not the sex scandal.
#9: Game 1 of the 2003 UAAP semifinals: La Salle 76, Ateneo 72
Everyone from Ateneo and La Salle in 2003 wanted an Ateneo-La Salle finals (but they'll answer you that they'll take any opponent, but deep down inside, they craved for it.), but Arwind Santos and FEU had other plans. And they along with UE tied with Ateneo for first; La Salle had their worst season in Final Four history -- bad enough for a 7-7 record and a #4 seed. Ateneo got the #1 seed, FEU defeated UE in the playoff for #2, and the Ateneo-La Salle Finals would have to wait. Hey, at least there'll be an Ateneo-La Salle semifinals.
Unlike in 2001 (see #7), LA Tenorio is now a seasoned UAAP veteran, and La Salle was in a "rebuilding" mode. Despite being in a rebuilding mode, La Salle surprised everybody with a spirited semifinals, until it got too spirited in which LA Tenorio punched Jerwin Gaco at his side, and Ryan Arana was in his usual wasted self. Ejections and twenty real-time minutes later, the game resumed and La Salle forced a Game 2. With Tenorio and Arana suspended, Ateneo won to face FEU in the Finals, and series that they will lose.
#8: Game 1 of the 2000 NCAA Finals: CSB 66, San Sebastian 64
2000 was the Green Year: La Salle won the men's and women's UAAP basketball championships, and CSB qualified for the NCAA Finals for the first time in their history, and only in their second year in the league, under probation.
CSB was led by he triumvirate of Mark Magsumbol, Sunday Salvacion and Jondan Salvador, Baste had Christian Coronel and Mark Macapagal. The Stags led in the early going, but CSB cashed in at the second half in what appeared to be an easy win over last year's #1 seed (unceremoniously booted out by fourth-seeded Letran Knights in the semifinals). SSC-R prevented a rout when CSB started throwing the ball like hell, and the Stags led 64-61. But Al Magpayo, the NCAA Rookie of the Year, scored on a 3-point play off a Macapagal foul to tie the game 64-all. With forty seconds left, and the Stags gave away the possession. Magsumbol drove from the weak side, and scored on another lay-up. Coronel raced towards the other side to force OT, but was thwarted to hand CSB game 1 of the series. CSB blew out the Stags in Game 2 to clinch their still only NCAA championship for the school.
#7: Game 3 of the 2001 UAAP Finals: La Salle 74, Ateneo 68
La Salle are the three-time defending champions. They faced two different opponents in three years, and they vanquished them all. Ateneo was in a 13-year championship drought, and coach Joe Lipa's job hangs in the balance. Ateneo gave La Salle a scare in Game 1, but Ateneo broke through with a Game 2 win thanks to a Magnum Membrere trey that Ren-Ren Ritualo wasn't able to answer at the other end to force Game 3.
In Game 3, it was the tale of two players: Carlo Sharma scoring 22 points, and 11 points in the payoff period that negated rookie LA Tenorio's 30 points -- yes, 30 points for a rookie in Game 3 -- to give La Salle the third four-peat in the UAAP.
#6: Game 1 of the 2006 UAAP Finals: Ateneo 73, UST 72
Despite the Ateneans' constant downplaying of their chances for the 2006 season, the Blue Eagles suffered only two defeats during the abbreviated elimination round thanks to La Salle's suspension: an inconsequential game against UE, and an overtime loss against their Finals opponents UST. Thomasians were just giddy to be in the Finals, having to go through three games to get there.
Ateneo and UST played a see-saw game all throughout, and again it hinged on the final possession of the game for each team: Ateneo lead by one point when Jervy Cruz had a tough time entering Ateneo's interior defense. He kicked out the ball to Allan Evangelista, who was covered well by Doug Kramer himself. The UST captain sank a fadeaway jumper to put UST up by one, but there was still a fraction of a second remaining.
Norman Black then devised what could've been the most exhilarating play of the decade. Macky Escalona inbounded the ball, Chris Tiu set a pick to separate Japs Cuan and Doug Kramer from each other, and Escalona gave the ball to Kramer for a wide-open lay-up to give Ateneo a 1-0 series lead.
#5: Game 1 of the 2004 NCAA semifinals: Letran 65, PCU 64
Letran wanted a back-t0-back title run, after a masterful conquest of San Sebastian a season earlier. However, two of the newest schools in the league, PCU and UPHSD finished tied for first. Letran had to settle for a semifinal meeting with PCU, having to win twice. They could've finished easily in the top 2 but hot-headed Ronjay Enrile was suspended for choking a San Sebastian player in eliminations.
On this game, Letran and PCU forged what could've been college basketball's epic rivalry of the decade, only that PCU's juniors teams did something silly and wasted a perfect opportunity to lay the foundations of a collegiate basketball powerhouse team. In one of the first semifinal games in years to be played at the Araneta Coliseum, the Dolphins and the Knights contested every possession like its their last. It all boiled down to the final possession of the game, with the Knights of the offensive and down by two points. Jonathan Aldave, one of the pieces of Letran's balanced attack of the decade, let go a three-pointer at the final buzzer. It went in, and Letran extended the series to a deciding game at the Rizal Memorial, where they were upended by the Dolphins in OT, with Enrile back in the lineup, on their way to their only NCAA championship.
#4: Game 3 of the 2004 UAAP Finals: La Salle 68, FEU 65
Ateneo-La Salle rivalry? FEU and La Salle also revived their own rivalry (a rivalry one side rather downplays) in the 2000s. FEU and La Salle peaked at the middle of the decade, with two consecutive Finals match-ups. In the first, FEU and La Salle needed the full three games to arrive at a conclusion.
Game 3 was what the scalpers wanted, an epic game to end the season. It all had the ingredients of a rivalry: teams that hate each other, Anton Montinola, and rich people behaving badly. And yes, an epic game to boot, too. FEU were the defending champions, and La Salle just came from a "rebuilding" season to qualify for the Finals anew. The Tams had Arwind Santos and Denok Miranda. The Lasallians already lost Ren-Ren Ritualo and Mike Cortez to the pros. But they still had Mark Cardona, Joseph Yeo and from "their" farm team at Mendiola, JV Casio. Arwind had his usual game, but the vaulted La Salle offense kept them in the running. It all came down to La Salle's last possession with game tied at 68-all. JV Casio shot a three-pointer over an outstretched hands of an FEU defender. It went in. FEU sued for time, and on their last possession, Denok Miranda missed on a desperation drive to the hoop. The teams were still scrambling for the rebound when the horn sounded, and the Archers won anew.
Of course, due to the Benitez/Gatchalian scandal (that sounded nasty), La Salle had to surrender their championship. To the FEU Tamaraws. But still, Arwind held off his pro debut for another season because of this (see #10).
#3: Game 3 of the 2006 NCAA Finals: San Beda 68, PCU 67
Bill Velasco said, he had never seen a multitude of grown men cry, until this. San Beda was on a 28-year championship drought. Last time they were champions, martial law ruled the land. Coming into the mix in the middle of 2005 after SBC had a 0-6 start, Koy Banal led the Lions to a two-game winning streak, only to be halted by Letran in 2005. Banal didn't waver, and the Red Lions picked up the Ekwelizer from Africa: Sam Ekwe. Sam Ekwe gave matchup problems to all teams except one: the PCU Dolphins, who have a brigade of big guys not afraid to mix it up down low.
The first two games of the Finals were actually blowouts: San Beda blew out PCU in Game 1, and PCU prevented an early celebration with an ever bigger blowout in Game 2. Game 3 was seeming like an imminent crowning of the Red Lions: the Dolphins were down by 15 points at the start of the fourth quarter. The Dolphins had arguably the better roster: Gabby Espinas, Rob Sanz, Beau Belga and Jason Castro (all 4 played in the pros), but San Beda had the Ekwelizer. PCU, egged by their token contingent of fans, cut the lead to one in the final minute. San Beda turned over the ball. This was looking like the dreaded 1991 Finals versus Mapua, that shot by Benny Cheng Bedans would rather want to forget. Jason Castro had the ball, and he didn't know what to do with it, but to run out the clock and attempt at the last half-second. Castro was well covered. He passed on to Belga, who was just inside the arc -- he released the ball, missed, Yousif Aljamal grabbed the rebound, and 28 years of frustration was over. But grown men still had to cry.
#2: Game 3 of the 2006 UAAP Finals: UST 76, Ateneo 74 in OT
After an epic Game 1 and a downer of a Game 2, no one really knew how Game 3 would be like. Many people expected Ateneo to be back with a vengeance after a weak Game 2. It would be a fitting end for the collegiate careers of Macky Escalona and JC Intal, who had played second fiddle to Ateneo's 2002 championship. UST fans were just all giddy to be even playing in theGame 3 of the Finals.
So the stage was set. First quarter was close; in the second quarter, Ateneo threatened to pull away. The Tigers growled their back to the game in the second half. Down by just 5, the Tiger cause suffered a set back when rookie center Jervy Cruz fouled out. Atenean Macky Escalona was playing the game of his life, finishing the game with a game-high 28 points. In the final minute, Anthony Espiritu scored a trey, then Mark Canlas scored on a put-back. Intal missed on the other hand as the horn sounded to force overtime.
In overtime, neither team pulled away. With the score tied, Intal missed anew. Players from both teams grabbed the rebound, necessitating for a jump ball -- in this case, the possession arrow was used, and it pointed to UST. Eric Salamat fouled the former UAAP juniors MVP June Cortez; Cortez scored the first FT, missed the second intentionally. Ateneo got the rebound but they weren't able to dribble the ball near their court, causing a half-court heave. The coliseum gasped -- it missed. The Tigers are back on top.
Before #1: The rest
Before I give out the #1, lemme show other notable games of the decade, from earliest to the latest:
Fourth-seed playoff of the 2001 UAAP playoffs (NU 108, UE 102 in 2OT): NU qualifies for their still only UAAP Final Four apperance with an upset against UE.
Game of the 2001 UAAP Finals (Ateneo 76, La Salle 72)
Game 1 of the 2002 UAAP Finals (Ateneo 72, La Salle 70): Fonacier blocked Cardona twice.
Game 1 of the 2002 NCAA Finals (SSC-R 79, CSB 78): Baste finally beats CSB in the Finals. They'll later complete their conquest of the Blazers with a blowout Game 2 win.
Game 2 of the 2004 NCAA semifinals (UPHDS 58, San Beda 56): Jerome Paterno misses a gimme lay-up at the dying seconds to give Perps the Finals appearance.
Game 2 of the 2004 NCAA semifinals (PCU 85, Letran 80 in OT): With Ronjay Enrile back, the Knights weren't able to complete the improbable when he missed pressure FTs in the final minutes of OT.
Game 1 of the 2006 UAAP semifinals (Ateneo 76, Adamson 73): With the Eagles up by four, Ken Bono completes a three-point play. Chris Tiu turned the ball over, and Patrick Cabahug had the chance to win the game for the Falcons, but missed. Tiu sealed the game with insurance FTs.
Second-seed playoff of the 2007 UAAP playoffs (La Salle 70, Ateneo 69): La Salle virtually seals their Finals appearance when Ateneo shot a two-pointer rather than a trey as time expired.
Game 1 of the 2006 UAAP semifinals (UST 79, UE 75): June Cortez's three point play put the game away for the Red Warriors.
Game 2 of the 2006 UAAP semifinals (UST 82, UE 71): Another three point play, this time from Jojo Duncil, puts UST up for good; Marcy Arellano's drive to the basket cuts the lead to 1, UST turns the ball over, and Jorel Canizares misses a medium-range jumper.
Game 1 of the 2007 UAAP Finals (La Salle 64, UE 63): Despite Mark Borboran scoring a trey to tie the score, Rico Maierhofer sealed the game with a free-throw (Borboron missed a last-second trey at the dying seconds) to give DLSU a 1-0 series lead.
Game 1 of the 2008 NCAA semifinals (JRU 63, Letran 61): RJ Jazul turned the ball over for like three times costing CSJL the win.
Game 2 of the 2008 NCAA Finals (JRU 62, San Beda 60): This was the game where Jayson Nocom's jumpers were automatic.
Game 1 of the 2009 NCAA Finals (SSC-R 72, San Beda 68 in 2OT): The game where Bedans thought Calvin Abueva used performance-enhancing drugs.
#1: Game 2 of the 2002 UAAP semifinals: Ateneo 72, UE 70
You've probably still had nightmares or daydream this. Ateneo just came off the heels of preventing La Salle a 14-0 sweep, thereby giving the playoffs its usual #1 vs. #4 and #2 vs. #3 format. Ateneo was seeded #3, and they had to win twice over UE led by guys such as Ronald Tubid, James Yap, Paul Artadi, Arnold Booker and a budding KG Canaleta. Ateneo also had a stellar cast: Enrico Villanueva, LA Tenorio, Rich Alvarez, Larry Fonacier and coached by Joel Banal.
The game was hotly contested. In the fourth quarter, it was tied 70-all in the last 7.8 seconds when Artadi turned over the ball. Tenorio raced towards the other end, but Yap (who hadn't met the Atenean Kris Aquino) , who was (and still is) not known for his defense, covered Tenorio. Tenorio found Gec Chia, the intrams star that Joe Lipa didn't use that much in 2001, shook off Ronald Tubid, and released the ball over the outstretched arms of Olan Omiping. The shot went in and Ateneo booked a Finals rematch with La Salle.
#10: Game 2 of the 2005 UAAP Finals: FEU 73, La Salle 71
There was one reason why Arwind Santos didn't go pro in 2005: to avenge what happened to the Tams in 2004. Arwind got his wish when the FEU and La Salle met again in a rematch the year before: only this time, FEU now has to counter the exploits of Joseph Yeo.
In this season, FEU, La Salle and Ateneo were the top 3 teams, but only two teams will advance to the Finals: FEU was beaten by Ateneo at the tail end of the eliminations but that wasn't enough as they left the Blues and the Greens behind. The arch-rivals faced each other in a playoff for the second seed, and La Salle maintained their mastery over the school from Katipunan with a blowout win. The Archers ended the Eagles' misery with another blowout at the semifinals to forge a Finals rematch with the Tamaraws, who were taken to the limit by the UE Red Warriors.
Game 1 ended with the heroics of Arwind Santos in the final minutes; This was also the game where Lasallians would rather forget(?) when Manny Salgado hit Arwind at the back of his head, then ran away screaming like a little girl .Arwind again saved the team in Game 2, also in the final play to deny the Green Archers a win in the Finals series. The next day, the La Salle scandal was exposed in the papers. No, it was not the sex scandal.
#9: Game 1 of the 2003 UAAP semifinals: La Salle 76, Ateneo 72
Everyone from Ateneo and La Salle in 2003 wanted an Ateneo-La Salle finals (but they'll answer you that they'll take any opponent, but deep down inside, they craved for it.), but Arwind Santos and FEU had other plans. And they along with UE tied with Ateneo for first; La Salle had their worst season in Final Four history -- bad enough for a 7-7 record and a #4 seed. Ateneo got the #1 seed, FEU defeated UE in the playoff for #2, and the Ateneo-La Salle Finals would have to wait. Hey, at least there'll be an Ateneo-La Salle semifinals.
Unlike in 2001 (see #7), LA Tenorio is now a seasoned UAAP veteran, and La Salle was in a "rebuilding" mode. Despite being in a rebuilding mode, La Salle surprised everybody with a spirited semifinals, until it got too spirited in which LA Tenorio punched Jerwin Gaco at his side, and Ryan Arana was in his usual wasted self. Ejections and twenty real-time minutes later, the game resumed and La Salle forced a Game 2. With Tenorio and Arana suspended, Ateneo won to face FEU in the Finals, and series that they will lose.
#8: Game 1 of the 2000 NCAA Finals: CSB 66, San Sebastian 64
2000 was the Green Year: La Salle won the men's and women's UAAP basketball championships, and CSB qualified for the NCAA Finals for the first time in their history, and only in their second year in the league, under probation.
CSB was led by he triumvirate of Mark Magsumbol, Sunday Salvacion and Jondan Salvador, Baste had Christian Coronel and Mark Macapagal. The Stags led in the early going, but CSB cashed in at the second half in what appeared to be an easy win over last year's #1 seed (unceremoniously booted out by fourth-seeded Letran Knights in the semifinals). SSC-R prevented a rout when CSB started throwing the ball like hell, and the Stags led 64-61. But Al Magpayo, the NCAA Rookie of the Year, scored on a 3-point play off a Macapagal foul to tie the game 64-all. With forty seconds left, and the Stags gave away the possession. Magsumbol drove from the weak side, and scored on another lay-up. Coronel raced towards the other side to force OT, but was thwarted to hand CSB game 1 of the series. CSB blew out the Stags in Game 2 to clinch their still only NCAA championship for the school.
#7: Game 3 of the 2001 UAAP Finals: La Salle 74, Ateneo 68
La Salle are the three-time defending champions. They faced two different opponents in three years, and they vanquished them all. Ateneo was in a 13-year championship drought, and coach Joe Lipa's job hangs in the balance. Ateneo gave La Salle a scare in Game 1, but Ateneo broke through with a Game 2 win thanks to a Magnum Membrere trey that Ren-Ren Ritualo wasn't able to answer at the other end to force Game 3.
In Game 3, it was the tale of two players: Carlo Sharma scoring 22 points, and 11 points in the payoff period that negated rookie LA Tenorio's 30 points -- yes, 30 points for a rookie in Game 3 -- to give La Salle the third four-peat in the UAAP.
#6: Game 1 of the 2006 UAAP Finals: Ateneo 73, UST 72
Despite the Ateneans' constant downplaying of their chances for the 2006 season, the Blue Eagles suffered only two defeats during the abbreviated elimination round thanks to La Salle's suspension: an inconsequential game against UE, and an overtime loss against their Finals opponents UST. Thomasians were just giddy to be in the Finals, having to go through three games to get there.
Ateneo and UST played a see-saw game all throughout, and again it hinged on the final possession of the game for each team: Ateneo lead by one point when Jervy Cruz had a tough time entering Ateneo's interior defense. He kicked out the ball to Allan Evangelista, who was covered well by Doug Kramer himself. The UST captain sank a fadeaway jumper to put UST up by one, but there was still a fraction of a second remaining.
Norman Black then devised what could've been the most exhilarating play of the decade. Macky Escalona inbounded the ball, Chris Tiu set a pick to separate Japs Cuan and Doug Kramer from each other, and Escalona gave the ball to Kramer for a wide-open lay-up to give Ateneo a 1-0 series lead.
#5: Game 1 of the 2004 NCAA semifinals: Letran 65, PCU 64
Letran wanted a back-t0-back title run, after a masterful conquest of San Sebastian a season earlier. However, two of the newest schools in the league, PCU and UPHSD finished tied for first. Letran had to settle for a semifinal meeting with PCU, having to win twice. They could've finished easily in the top 2 but hot-headed Ronjay Enrile was suspended for choking a San Sebastian player in eliminations.
On this game, Letran and PCU forged what could've been college basketball's epic rivalry of the decade, only that PCU's juniors teams did something silly and wasted a perfect opportunity to lay the foundations of a collegiate basketball powerhouse team. In one of the first semifinal games in years to be played at the Araneta Coliseum, the Dolphins and the Knights contested every possession like its their last. It all boiled down to the final possession of the game, with the Knights of the offensive and down by two points. Jonathan Aldave, one of the pieces of Letran's balanced attack of the decade, let go a three-pointer at the final buzzer. It went in, and Letran extended the series to a deciding game at the Rizal Memorial, where they were upended by the Dolphins in OT, with Enrile back in the lineup, on their way to their only NCAA championship.
#4: Game 3 of the 2004 UAAP Finals: La Salle 68, FEU 65
Ateneo-La Salle rivalry? FEU and La Salle also revived their own rivalry (a rivalry one side rather downplays) in the 2000s. FEU and La Salle peaked at the middle of the decade, with two consecutive Finals match-ups. In the first, FEU and La Salle needed the full three games to arrive at a conclusion.
Game 3 was what the scalpers wanted, an epic game to end the season. It all had the ingredients of a rivalry: teams that hate each other, Anton Montinola, and rich people behaving badly. And yes, an epic game to boot, too. FEU were the defending champions, and La Salle just came from a "rebuilding" season to qualify for the Finals anew. The Tams had Arwind Santos and Denok Miranda. The Lasallians already lost Ren-Ren Ritualo and Mike Cortez to the pros. But they still had Mark Cardona, Joseph Yeo and from "their" farm team at Mendiola, JV Casio. Arwind had his usual game, but the vaulted La Salle offense kept them in the running. It all came down to La Salle's last possession with game tied at 68-all. JV Casio shot a three-pointer over an outstretched hands of an FEU defender. It went in. FEU sued for time, and on their last possession, Denok Miranda missed on a desperation drive to the hoop. The teams were still scrambling for the rebound when the horn sounded, and the Archers won anew.
Of course, due to the Benitez/Gatchalian scandal (that sounded nasty), La Salle had to surrender their championship. To the FEU Tamaraws. But still, Arwind held off his pro debut for another season because of this (see #10).
#3: Game 3 of the 2006 NCAA Finals: San Beda 68, PCU 67
Bill Velasco said, he had never seen a multitude of grown men cry, until this. San Beda was on a 28-year championship drought. Last time they were champions, martial law ruled the land. Coming into the mix in the middle of 2005 after SBC had a 0-6 start, Koy Banal led the Lions to a two-game winning streak, only to be halted by Letran in 2005. Banal didn't waver, and the Red Lions picked up the Ekwelizer from Africa: Sam Ekwe. Sam Ekwe gave matchup problems to all teams except one: the PCU Dolphins, who have a brigade of big guys not afraid to mix it up down low.
The first two games of the Finals were actually blowouts: San Beda blew out PCU in Game 1, and PCU prevented an early celebration with an ever bigger blowout in Game 2. Game 3 was seeming like an imminent crowning of the Red Lions: the Dolphins were down by 15 points at the start of the fourth quarter. The Dolphins had arguably the better roster: Gabby Espinas, Rob Sanz, Beau Belga and Jason Castro (all 4 played in the pros), but San Beda had the Ekwelizer. PCU, egged by their token contingent of fans, cut the lead to one in the final minute. San Beda turned over the ball. This was looking like the dreaded 1991 Finals versus Mapua, that shot by Benny Cheng Bedans would rather want to forget. Jason Castro had the ball, and he didn't know what to do with it, but to run out the clock and attempt at the last half-second. Castro was well covered. He passed on to Belga, who was just inside the arc -- he released the ball, missed, Yousif Aljamal grabbed the rebound, and 28 years of frustration was over. But grown men still had to cry.
#2: Game 3 of the 2006 UAAP Finals: UST 76, Ateneo 74 in OT
After an epic Game 1 and a downer of a Game 2, no one really knew how Game 3 would be like. Many people expected Ateneo to be back with a vengeance after a weak Game 2. It would be a fitting end for the collegiate careers of Macky Escalona and JC Intal, who had played second fiddle to Ateneo's 2002 championship. UST fans were just all giddy to be even playing in theGame 3 of the Finals.
So the stage was set. First quarter was close; in the second quarter, Ateneo threatened to pull away. The Tigers growled their back to the game in the second half. Down by just 5, the Tiger cause suffered a set back when rookie center Jervy Cruz fouled out. Atenean Macky Escalona was playing the game of his life, finishing the game with a game-high 28 points. In the final minute, Anthony Espiritu scored a trey, then Mark Canlas scored on a put-back. Intal missed on the other hand as the horn sounded to force overtime.
In overtime, neither team pulled away. With the score tied, Intal missed anew. Players from both teams grabbed the rebound, necessitating for a jump ball -- in this case, the possession arrow was used, and it pointed to UST. Eric Salamat fouled the former UAAP juniors MVP June Cortez; Cortez scored the first FT, missed the second intentionally. Ateneo got the rebound but they weren't able to dribble the ball near their court, causing a half-court heave. The coliseum gasped -- it missed. The Tigers are back on top.
Before #1: The rest
Before I give out the #1, lemme show other notable games of the decade, from earliest to the latest:
Fourth-seed playoff of the 2001 UAAP playoffs (NU 108, UE 102 in 2OT): NU qualifies for their still only UAAP Final Four apperance with an upset against UE.
Game of the 2001 UAAP Finals (Ateneo 76, La Salle 72)
Game 1 of the 2002 UAAP Finals (Ateneo 72, La Salle 70): Fonacier blocked Cardona twice.
Game 1 of the 2002 NCAA Finals (SSC-R 79, CSB 78): Baste finally beats CSB in the Finals. They'll later complete their conquest of the Blazers with a blowout Game 2 win.
Game 2 of the 2004 NCAA semifinals (UPHDS 58, San Beda 56): Jerome Paterno misses a gimme lay-up at the dying seconds to give Perps the Finals appearance.
Game 2 of the 2004 NCAA semifinals (PCU 85, Letran 80 in OT): With Ronjay Enrile back, the Knights weren't able to complete the improbable when he missed pressure FTs in the final minutes of OT.
Game 1 of the 2006 UAAP semifinals (Ateneo 76, Adamson 73): With the Eagles up by four, Ken Bono completes a three-point play. Chris Tiu turned the ball over, and Patrick Cabahug had the chance to win the game for the Falcons, but missed. Tiu sealed the game with insurance FTs.
Second-seed playoff of the 2007 UAAP playoffs (La Salle 70, Ateneo 69): La Salle virtually seals their Finals appearance when Ateneo shot a two-pointer rather than a trey as time expired.
Game 1 of the 2006 UAAP semifinals (UST 79, UE 75): June Cortez's three point play put the game away for the Red Warriors.
Game 2 of the 2006 UAAP semifinals (UST 82, UE 71): Another three point play, this time from Jojo Duncil, puts UST up for good; Marcy Arellano's drive to the basket cuts the lead to 1, UST turns the ball over, and Jorel Canizares misses a medium-range jumper.
Game 1 of the 2007 UAAP Finals (La Salle 64, UE 63): Despite Mark Borboran scoring a trey to tie the score, Rico Maierhofer sealed the game with a free-throw (Borboron missed a last-second trey at the dying seconds) to give DLSU a 1-0 series lead.
Game 1 of the 2008 NCAA semifinals (JRU 63, Letran 61): RJ Jazul turned the ball over for like three times costing CSJL the win.
Game 2 of the 2008 NCAA Finals (JRU 62, San Beda 60): This was the game where Jayson Nocom's jumpers were automatic.
Game 1 of the 2009 NCAA Finals (SSC-R 72, San Beda 68 in 2OT): The game where Bedans thought Calvin Abueva used performance-enhancing drugs.
#1: Game 2 of the 2002 UAAP semifinals: Ateneo 72, UE 70
You've probably still had nightmares or daydream this. Ateneo just came off the heels of preventing La Salle a 14-0 sweep, thereby giving the playoffs its usual #1 vs. #4 and #2 vs. #3 format. Ateneo was seeded #3, and they had to win twice over UE led by guys such as Ronald Tubid, James Yap, Paul Artadi, Arnold Booker and a budding KG Canaleta. Ateneo also had a stellar cast: Enrico Villanueva, LA Tenorio, Rich Alvarez, Larry Fonacier and coached by Joel Banal.
The game was hotly contested. In the fourth quarter, it was tied 70-all in the last 7.8 seconds when Artadi turned over the ball. Tenorio raced towards the other end, but Yap (who hadn't met the Atenean Kris Aquino) , who was (and still is) not known for his defense, covered Tenorio. Tenorio found Gec Chia, the intrams star that Joe Lipa didn't use that much in 2001, shook off Ronald Tubid, and released the ball over the outstretched arms of Olan Omiping. The shot went in and Ateneo booked a Finals rematch with La Salle.
October 8, 2009
The race to the finish
Advisory: No Game 3 updates today on this blog. Sorry.
I could've bombarded the introduction with a ton of "finish line" metaphors, but since everyone uses that I won't do it. So, we'd just go to the nitty-gritty of Game 3 of the Finals series between Ateneo and UE.
Ateneo is shooting for dominance. UE is shooting for redemption. Either way, the race will end bitterly for one team (heh, sorry can't resist).
Now people have been drawing parallels between now and what happened to 2006. Like the third seed UST beating Ateneo in overtime in Game 3, after blowing them out in Game 2, and suffering a heartbreaker thanks to Ford "Guess where am I now" Arao.
But there is one significant difference: UST then had Jervy Cruz. This year, UE has no player a la Jervy Cruz, and Ateneo has one, and is probably (over-)hyped better. Another difference is that UST beat Ateneo in the elimination round, in 2006 the Tigers outlasted Ateneo in overtime, after the Eagles gang raped the Tigers in the first round. But then again, the results of the elimination round are reduced to mere stats once the playoffs rolls along.
Now since everybody is now an armchair coach at this time, and with the likes of TJ Manotoc telling us what coach Norman Black has to do, instead of doing the usual on what both teams should do, here are the top ten things us fans have to watch out for, which practically evolves into what the two teams should do anyway:
10. UE's interior defense
UE has a underrated interior defense, and deservingly so. Ateneo's bigs have been pounding the paint since the series started; Rabeh al-Hussaini has top scored Ateneo for the first two games.
9. Ateneo's perimeter defense
Unlike, UE's interior defense, Black has more weapons at his disposal to guard UE's shooting from beyond the arc. Kirk Long and Ryan Buenafe can guard any UE guard man-t0-man and the Warriors will be swallowed alive, but what keeps Ateneo from a complete perimeter lockdown is that they fail to close out once they double in the inside. Which brings me to...
8. UE's slashing offense
Paul Lee and Pari Llagas can penetrate a la Hayden Kho all day. It doesn't matter if Rabeh and Baclao have a field day blocking those shots; they'll continue it no matter what happens. Now instead of allowing penetrations, Ateneo just might have to try out the zone, especially if UE can't shoot the lights out from the perimeter. Or they can deny the ball from the slashers.
7. Paul Lee vs. Eric Salamat showdown
For some reason, these two guys always come off the bench, so the middle of the first quarter will be the turning point for these two teams. If the two players come out with guns a blazing, the next chip falls to...
6. The supporting cast
Val Acuna has been the X-factor in the playoffs. He scores plenty in the first half and fades away in the second half to let the Warriors big-time players take control. If UE's supporting cast fails to deliver on their first appearance on court, UE's main men will lose steam and Ateneo can take advantage.
5. Elmer Espiritu's priorities
Elmer Espiritu is one of the top shot blockers of the league, but if he devotes all of his energy to defense, he might ran out of gas for offense (compare Games 1 and 2). If Espiritu can pace himself in the game, UE has a big chance of winning the crown.
4. UE's passing game
Coach Lawrence Chongson's coaching philosophy is the motion offense. Yes folks, he has a philosophy, and thar philosophy is good enough for a third seed, a semifinals win, and at least 1 win in the Finals. The thing is the Warriors might tire themselves out in such a system, and especially if Ateneo starts running the break from their misses, they'll lose energy by the time the pep squads perform.
3. The Jai-namite
It's Nobel Prize season, and what better way to celebrate by christening Jai Reyes as "Jai-namite." Heck, it's better than Badjie "Ako ang Tunay na King Eagle" del Rosario. Hell and high water (literally) seems nothing to this young daddy, and his clutch shooting will be pivotal if the game is close. If he converts those jumpers, it'll be like 2005 JV Casio all over again.
2. Tiff Atendido's hair
UE's performance is directly proportional to the amount of hair Tiff lets out. So if you want UE to win, pray the her hairdresser makes an afro out of her hair.
1. The Boom and TJ Show
These two guys have been commentating the first two games of the series, with Game 3 almost certain that the panel will be these two people again. And while TJ may have the technical know-how in basketball, and may perhaps get the point straight, Boom has been a tough nut to crack. And by tough nut I mean tough "Even diamonds can break this nut's shell" nut. Or "I wanna kick him in the nuts if only me or my TV is trashed"
September 17, 2009
Ateneo vs. UST: One big bulldozing win?
We begin with the #1 vs. #4 matchup in this year's UAAP Final Four: the defending champions Ateneo Blue Eagles and UST Growling Tigers. I was tempted to say "2006 champions" but seriously, it doesn't matter now.
Unless you ask Dylan Ababou.
In the second game, the Tigers approved somewhat, with four players above .500 in the 2-point area. But just like in the second game, the Eagles sustained their attack, with a shoo-in 6th man of the year, if such award existed in the UAAP, Eric Salamat scoring 7 points and dishing four assists, and Kirk Long top-scoring with 21 points, with a torrid 5/6 from three-point land. The game had 10 deadlocks but the Tigers weren't able to lead and eventually ran out of gas.
So what should UST do to barge into the Finals? First, they should establish an inside presence. But with behemoths Al-Hussaini and Nonoy Baclao at the post, the Tigers bigs must devise a way to penetrate their way towards the hoop. Putting these two guys in foul trouble may help.
What makes Ateneo awesome is that they have an inside-outside game. When their bigs fail to make an impact, their endless supply of guards plays a big game outta nowhere. This is where UST's perimeter defense steps in -- guard the three-point line. It seems that it may be a better idea to let the bigs have a field day down low. But then again if the guards have a bad shooting night, it may be a better idea to gang up the Ateneo's bigs.
Another way of minimizing Ateneo's strengths is by having a back-up at the backcourt; make sure two guards sprint down in defense when Eric Salamat starts running the transition. You may have reduce the rebounding numbers but in this case, with Baclao and Al-Hussaini in town, you might as well surrender that.
For Ateneo, their defensive strategy is simplified: shut down UST's shooting. If they do that, life will be easier as they can run the break and score easy points. Shut down the paint and make Ababou bleed for their points. Pressure UST's guards and make them commit turnovers. Do that and they're in the Finals. Sustain the offense and let the Tigers tire themselves out and bring out the finishing kick; the Tigers have a short bench and if the game is within reach for the Tigers they'll lose gas.
Even when they don't have the twice-to-beat advantage, Ateneo is the favorite, but if the breaks go their way, and they pace themselves well, the Tigers have a fighting chance to extend the series to a second game.
August 30, 2009
The homestretch
So it's the homestretch of the UAAP tournament and the key games are upon us. Here are the lowdown on these big games prior to the playoffs. The first "key" game will be Sunday's Adamson vs. Ateneo game. Ateneo playing for the first twice to beat advantage berth, while Adamson plays for dear life.
September 3 at Araneta -- UE vs. UP. For UP, this will be all or nothing since if they lose here, they're kaput, no matter what happens to the latter game this day.
September 3 at Araneta -- UST vs. La Salle. This will be a virtual elimination game for La Salle, if UST wins as expected against NU. Expect the Gang Green to come to full force on a Thursday. If UST does win both games, not only La Salle will be eliminated, but also Adamson and UP. Hence the hopes of four teams hinge on this game.
September 5 at the Arena -- La Salle vs. FEU. Assuming La Salle does fend off UST, FEU will have something more important to accomplish, with a win clinching their twice to beat advantage berth in the semifinals. A win by La Salle keeps them in the hunt, assuming they've won over the Tigers two days earlier.
September 10 at Araneta -- La Salle vs. NU. Now let's assume that La Salle wins both games against UST and FEU, this game will be crucial for the Green and White, for a win might clinch them a fourth-seed playoff against UST.
September 10 at Araneta -- UST vs. UE. If as expected Ateneo and FEU clinch the two twice to advantage berths. this will be a matter of placing; pick your poison as I say. These will also be the last game of the elimination round for these two teams, and there is still a possiblity for UST to tie UE when they'll play this game, so it can also be considered as a virtual third-seed playoff. Or for UST's case, if they lose two prior to this game, this will be a virtual "avoid a fourth-seed playoff" game. If they lose, they'll might play a playoff against La Salle. Which isn't particularly rosy considering if they'd play such a playoff, that means La Salle has a 2-0 edge against them in the eliminations.
September 12 at Araneta -- FEU vs. Ateneo. Assuming both teams win all of their games, and with the twice-to-beat advantage for both teams intact, this will be for "placing," with Ateneo playing for the #1 seed, and FEU playing for a playoff for #1, assuming we'd see one this season.
So those are your key remaining games this UAAP season. Enjoy, watch, cheer, bash, kick a la Joshua Webb, do anything. Win. At all costs.
July 26, 2009
Top 10: Trending... topic
A phantom kick, a melee, a few cuts and bruises, and a wanna-be Ron Artest later, we all knew which is the game of the week. And it was not Friday's 2PM game.
And remember Khasim Mirza posterizing Nico Salva last week? Guess what, Salva, still looking for some more, was brought to school by Kobe Bryant. Maybe Kobe didn't want to experience what LeBron did when some random high school dunked over him. Like Andy Barocca's face, Kobe would've been scared.
10. CSB Blazers
Let's face it, the reason they're here is that they've beaten a Perps team, and that was the Perps team with Raffy Ynion playing. It turns out Ynion wasn't injured by the AUF dawgs, but by his new shoes. New shoes? Maybe crappy socks. Don't be like Pac-Man and stick to one... pair.
9. Letran Knights
Dunno where the Knights fell short, wait now I know. They forgot to guard Garvo Lanete.
8. La Salle Green Archers
Finally the boys in green and white debuts in this top 10. After a winless first two weeks, they have an undefeated week 3 on teams such as UP and Adamson, and both were even relatively close. Hey, at least Gang Green is well and alive again, and they didn't gave up that lame "thanks for winning against our rookies" excuse this week.
7. UP Fighting Maroons
OMFG. Remember what I told a few weeks ago to live up to the hype? They burned down the most-hyped team in the UAAP since the 2003 blue and white team and the rest of world noticed.
6. UST Growling Tigers
Haters were saying the reason why they started 2-0 was due to inferior opposition, and after Ateneo's trashing, they're back to old ways, but no, the boys from Espana made sure the haters ate their words. And munched them too.
5. FEU Tamaraws
The well-oiled green and gold machine is revved up and it seems that only the Ateneans can stop them. Or maybe UP too. Hah.
4. JRU Heavy Bombers
Still their "Big 3" of Hayes, Sena and Wilson are the ones carrying the cudgels for the Kalentong Boys. The thing is what if these three fail to show up, who among from the bench will step up?
3. San Beda Red Lions
Despite a big win over Letran this week, their weaknesses were shown with the Knights playing San Beda's uptempo game, with only the Man from Basilan preventing the Knights from pulling away early in the game. Good thing their L.A. mercenaries sustained the energy during the second half. And one of them even had a "phantom" kick that kicked-off festivities as time expired. And wasn't it great that Ron Artest is now a Laker? He sure has fans from the Letran team. (who can be also considered as a "mercenary" but that's another story.)
2. Ateneo Blue Eagles
Since UP won vs. "the" Ateneo, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declares Monday to have classes. Since she's so pissed.
1. San Sebastian Stags
Are the good times back in the U-Belt? Are the Stags for real? Their clash against potentially undefeated JRU Heavy Bombers two weeks from now will partly answer this question, plus their first round finale against arch-rivals Letran will be the two games that hoops junkies must watch.
Bubbling under:
UE Red Warriors (2-2): Is James Martinez that important to them they failed to beat UST? Have they lost their swagger?
EAC Generals (1-4): Coach Nomar Isla and his boys felt they won a championship. Since they won their first NCAA game, against last year's #4 seed Mapua, and in front of KDP. And the Yaya brothers aren't losers anymore! Yay!!!!
Adamson Falcons (1-3): They did lose twice this week, but they went down fighting. If the Falcons catch a break, they can make a push for the last Final 4 slot. And yes, Lester Alvarez is making sure Adamson got him for all of the right reasons.
Player of the week: San Beda's Garvo Lanete. Lanete kept the Red Lions afloat as the Knights were pushing early in their game. Without him, San Beda might've absorbed loss #2.
High school monthly Top 10:
- Letran Squires
- La Salle Junior Archers
- UST Tiger Cubs
- San Beda Red Cubs
- JRU Light Bombers
- San Sebastian Staglets
- UE Junior Warriors
- LSGH Greenies
- FEU-FERN Baby Tamaraws
- Ateneo Blue Eaglets
Read more: Last week's Top 10
July 19, 2009
Top 10: Trending
Week 2 has ended, and in the NCAA you can see the teams organizing themselves into strata, while thanks to crappy scheduling in the UAAP where only one undefeated team is left when the opening day winners met each other, then the winners of the second game met each other for the third game. Ah, you'll figure it out later.
#1 Ateneo Blue Eagles
The defending champions are on track on winning another trophy for Katipunan with big wins against then undefeated teams UE and UST. After falling behind early against the Red Warriors, the Blue Eagles took it up a notch and clinch a double-digit win, while the Eagles blew the game wide open with a decisive second quarter run against UST.
And Eman Monfort shooting a la Sasha Vujacic does help a lot.
#2 San Beda Red Lions
The RL has been blowing out patsies left and right this week: 20 points against CSB and 33 against Perps. Good momentum to carry over to their big game against Letran on Friday. The coach Frankie Lim-appointed King Bedan Garvo Lanete will carry the new-look Red Lions to the promised land.
#3 JRU Heavy Bombers
Switching spots with the Stags this week, the Bombers survived a gritty Chiefs squad to tag themselves a #3 spot this week. The one-two punch of John Wilson and Marvin Hayes may be enough for a Finals berth. The only thing spotty with the gold-and-blue are their shoot-first PGs, if they distribute the ball better, they can break the San Beda defense to prevent the dreaded Red Lion fastbreak.
#4 San Sebastian Stags
They could've held on to #4, but the Stags third stringers late in the fourth caused the winless Generals to cut their big-time deficit to single-digits. Can new big man Calvin Abueva amend the NCAA big man landscape?
#5 FEU Tamaraws
A big win against rivals La Salle nudges the Tamaraws to a #5 rank. But are the Lasallians just that bad, or are the Tamaraws just too good? Can coach Capacio translate his PBL success to the UAAP?
#6 UST Growling Tigers
After winning big against NU giving them the best start in years, the Tigers came crashing back to Earth with a asskicking worthy of a Hayden Kho joke. We ask the same question earlier: are the Tigers that good, or did they just face two crappy teams at the start?
#7 Letran Knights
UST's brother school Letran decimated Intramuros archrival Mapua a la what happened to the Walled City during World War II. Jazul and Guevarra shot the lights out, and if they can sustain their shooting, the Knights can catch-up the NCAA's top 3, with them facing one of the top three in their big game against the Red Lions.
#8 UE Red Warriors
UE's one sickness: losing big after leading big, whether in single games or in tournaments. Despite winning against NU, doubts arise if whether the loss of Marcy Arellano would be the one that'll kill UE's chances of beating the top teams this year.
#9 Adamson Falcons
The Falcons hated being the one being hit from behind, so they did that themselves with a come from behind win against the UP Fighting Maroons. If Julius Colina holds on to his game, the Falcons had found themselves a good-enough man in the post.
#10 UP Fighting Maroons
The Maroons may have been 0-2, but unlike the other winless team, they came down fighting. Now if they can cut their turnovers (they had 19 vs. Adamson), they can more than just have a "fighting" chance for a win.
Bubbling under:
Arellano Chiefs (2-2): If they faced any other team aside the top three this week, they could've cracked this list.
NU Bulldogs (1-2): Even though they gave the Warriors a bite, they have to do more than just that if they want to advance far in the UAAP season. Is Manny Dandan's post in jeopardy?
EAC Generals (0-4): They actually gave the Stags a run for their money, but their thin bench gave out and they weren't able to sustain a run against SSC's third stringers.
AUF Great Danes (1-3): The NCAA would thank AUF a lot, if it weren't for them, Perps' big man Raffy Ynion may still play. And yeah, it's Perps, but that practically makes Perps beatable even by the Squires.
Player of the week: Ateneo's Eman Monfort. Like seriously, it's nice to see you again. Last year, you were watching the Finals from the upper box. Nice upgrade, dude.
Read more: Last week's Top 10
Undefeated
(Note: "Racing Stripes" is this space's UAAP column designed to have a slant, but not necessarily bias, towards that school in España. --Howard the Duck)
UST and Ateneo are the only teams left with 2–0 records. Later, that will be down to one, with the two facing off. But pundits have placed UST as the underdog, with good reason. So how can the Tigers win?
1.) Shoot from the outside. If it hits, it'll spread ADMU's defense, and we can be able to pound inside w/c can hasten Rabeh's departure c/o fouls.
2.) Grab rebounds like hell. Don't give ADMU a 2nd try. Rabeh's very adapt to this, grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring on a put-back. Be wary of that and box out. Grab a defensive board, lead a fastbreak, and score easily.
3.) Camp at the shaded lane. But leave one guy to patrol the perimeter. It's like Jimmy Manansala days where the four guys zone while he harasses the ball-handler. Yeah, funny I even went to that era since we're basically in that mode right now.
4.) When you stop Rabeh, Ateneo will turn to their outside shooting, so that's the time UST MUST switch to man-to-man to prevent such sniping. Timely switching between zone and man-to-man might wreck havoc on the Ateneo offense and might lead into turnovers.
5.) Hit free throws and avoid turnovers. Free throws are the only time the defense is not in their faces so they better shoot it. As for turnovers, be sure the ball handler is not the one being harassed like hell.
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