Ateneo version 2K8

ON THE EVENING of June 10, 2008, Adamson University ended Ateneo de Manila’s lethargic run in one of the two major preseason tournaments held over the summer, 80-77. Fifteen days later, Jose Rizal University dealt the Blue Eagles another defeat, this time at the Blue Eagle Gym in front of students, some alumni and even the Blue Babble Band.

Sure, these were warm-up games. And in between the losses to the Falcons and JRU, coach Norman Black’s wards did cop a separate preseason title. But for the avid basketball observer who knows all too well that a collegiate hoops season doesn’t begin and end with the UAAP, it was quite worrisome.

Questions hovered over Ateneo. Who’d fill the void left by Ford Arao? Just how good was Rabeh Al-Hussaini going to be? Would the Blue and White still run that already well-scouted half-court offense of theirs? How would the much-anticipated 2008 rookie class play? With a million queries that needed to be answered, it seemed like Ateneo was going to have, at best, one of those ordinary years: Nine-plus wins in the elimination round followed by a dramatic knockout defeat.

A few friends of mine tried to reassure me. Two coaches – an ex-Ateneo mentor and a current tactician for an NCAA squad – told me they’d seen Al-Hussaini, and how much he’d improved. Just how vast was yet another question.

On the second playdate of the season, the Blue Eagles outplayed De La Salle in somewhat convincing fashion. A statement game, definitely, but one that still ran the same numbers of years past: Two fastbreak points on a measly four attempts, a mere +5 rebounding edge against a much smaller team and a sub-par 38 percent shooting clip from the floor.

Then came the matchup with University of the East. Before the game, I saw Al-Hussaini approach one of his former professors, who incidentally is one of my closest friends on campus. She called me and relayed what Rabeh had said, “Ma’am, babawi tayo ngayon.” True enough, the ex-NCAA juniors standout delivered what at that time proved his best game of his career – an 18-point, 10-rebound outing against a squad that Ateneo had failed to defeat just a year ago.

Three games later, the player people described as temperamental and soft came up with one of the best games a big man ever played in the UAAP. Though his 33 points and 20 boards weren’t enough to steer the Eagles to victory against Far Eastern University, they were more than enough to attract the whole league’s attention.

Amidst all the attention being accorded Al-Hussaini was the emergence of a system of basketball that hadn’t been seen in the hallowed grounds of Katipunan Avenue. The Blue Eagles began to run and up the tempo of the game, culminating in a 25-fastbreak point highlight factory against Adamson. Two games after, they set a season-high for that figure with 31 against University of the Philippines.

In one of those postgame interviews, Black had said that he always wanted his troops to run, even before this season. That desire was never really translated on-court prior to this year. Ateneo was known by its opponents to be a deliberate, half-court team that wouldn’t bust out on the open floor. Perhaps, the more attack-minded approach this year was the outcome of a system that was slowly being perfected throughout the Black years.

Speaking of perfection, the once turnover-happy Blue Eagles had transformed themselves into a well-oiled machine on the half-court. This season, the squad cut down its average number of turnovers a game by almost four, from 18.3 to 14.7, number one in the league during the elimination round. Gone were the days when guys went one-on-one and issued sloppy passes; this was a new and improved team.

This year’s rookie class, meanwhile, lived up to the hype, and then some. Everyone knew Ryan Buenafe could play. The three-time NCAA juniors champion with San Sebastian, despite having five-plus turnover days a couple of times, schooled much more experienced guys off the dribble, and created the most magical of shots (ask UE in its second round matchup with Ateneo). However, his real worth came when it mattered most. Truly, winners rise to the occasion, and Buenafe’s 12-point, 11-rebound outing in Game 1 of the finals showed that he’s a man among boys. Nico Salva, a prized catch from San Beda, also had his share of moments.

Of course, the constants were there. Chris Tiu not only set venues alight, but blossomed into the leader he was projected to be even last season. Eric Salamat and Nonoy Baclao brought the mental toughness that Ateneo never really had after winning its last title prior to this year in 2002, while Jai Reyes bounced back from a lousy 2007.

The rest, they say, is history. If anything, Ateneo silenced its critics, but most of all answered all the questions heading into the season…and then some. Just like an operating system, the Hail Mary Squad had its glitches. But even the most efficient systems hit the ground, hang and stall, scratch and burn. Ateneo de Manila basketball, version 2K8, is the end-product of hard work, sacrifice and tireless dedication.

To the Blue Eagles and the entire Ateneo community, savor this championship. Thank you all for a year to remember.

- Christian Soler (from http://www.inboundpass.com/2008/09/26/ateneo-version-2k8/)

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TRUE.

The Ateneo Blue Eagles has indeed improved this season. And for that, I would like to congratulate them for a job well done.

And yes, THANK YOU for giving me such great fights to watch. I'm looking forward to seeing you play next year.

even without Chris Tiu (and Yuri). aww. haha.