SIX POINTS. Six points was the total number recorded by Anton Asistio during his first two seasons as a member of the Ateneo Blue Eagles. While cracking the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) roster within the first two years of college would be an amazing feat for anybody, Asistio’s inability to garner minutes left him unproven in the UAAP. After a slew of injuries and the emergence of new competition, the guard failed to notch his third straight slot in the squad and he was placed in Team Glory Be. However, what would seem like a demotion to most came off as an opportunity for Asistio.
“I didn’t feel like it was the end of the world. I understood that in Team B, I was going to get more playing time. I was going to adjust to college ball. I saw it as an opportunity for me to get better,” Asistio said.
This positive attitude was further supported by Head Coach Sandy Arespacochaga as he said that Asistio’s mental approach “was a mature one.” Arespacochaga explained that whenever final cuts are made for the UAAP roster, nearly all of the players who miss out on Team A take a few days off before joining Team B practices. Yet it was Asistio — the player who had already made the UAAP squad twice — who was on the floor and working on his game the day after he was cut.
Asistio’s talent showed in his year with Glory Be, most notably during their championship game in the Fr. Martin Cup. The guard racked up an astounding 45 points — including seven three-pointers — as the Eagles came out on top.
After a season of fine-tuning in Team B, he was again given the chance to vie for a slot on the UAAP roster. Interestingly, the entire set of Blue Eagle aspirants were given a clean slate after last season as new Team Consultant Tab Baldwin was admittedly unfamiliar with most of the players on Ateneo not named Ravena. This led to the coaches experimenting with Asistio, as they assigned him as point guard throughout the preseason, garnering less than ideal results.
“We discovered that he didn’t have the strength to handle some of the bumping,” Baldwin said. After their run at the Filoil Flying V Cup, the coaches decided to put the boys through an intense eight-week weight training regime to help toughen them up prior to the start of the UAAP season. According to Baldwin, this was where he felt like Asistio began to turn a corner.
“He came out of that weights phase — really, I thought— a different player. He had a different level of confidence,” said Baldwin. This newfound strength and confidence, coupled with a return to his natural position at shooting guard, came perfectly just before the season.
He re-introduced himself to the UAAP with a decent six-point performance, matching his total output from his first two seasons. More impressively, that performance would represent Asistio’s lowest scoring game of the first round, which featured four double-digit outputs and a career high 21 points in a win over the University of the East. He earned himself the starting job after that performance off the bench, as he lifted the Eagles during the first of a slew of games missed by starting small forward Aaron Black.
After a couple of years riding the bench and just one year removed squad, Asistio’s production has been a surprise to opposing teams and Ateneo fans alike. However, this recent stretch is not a fluke, but proof of Asistio’s hard work and ability paying off on the big stage.
“I understood this was … going to be a year where I would get more playing time and play a bigger role. I’ve been working hard since my Team B days [and have been] looking forward to the challenge,” Asistio said.
Despite his preseason struggles, the guard’s success didn’t seem to come as a surprise to his two coaches as they spoke highly of his work ethic.
“One Big Fight is not just a cheer, it’s a way of life. That’s what we see from Anton,” Arespacochaga said. This way of life seems all but imbedded in the heart of the True Blue guard and the team is happily reaping the benefits of his breakout campaign.
