HISTORIC VICTORY. Season 74 and 75 UAAP finals Most Valuable Player Nico Salva does the traditional net-cutting in celebration of the Blue Eagles’ five-peat. Photo by Mario T. Dagdag.

KIEFER RAVENA buried a crucial jumper with 33 seconds to go and Juami Tiongson stole a Clark Bautista pass to a hot-handed Jeric Fortuna with 7.7 seconds left to win Game Two of the UAAP menís basketball finals, 65-62, on October 11 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, claiming the Blue Eaglesí coveted fifth straight championship—the first in the Final Four era of the UAAP.

“Good game,” said Blue Eagles Coach Norman Black to University of Santo Tomas (UST) head coach Pido Jarencio as they shook hands. Just like he always did after any game, Black crossed midcourt and headed toward the opposing team’s bench as the final buzzer sounded. With a few cameras following in his wake, Black shook the hand of the very man who defeated him in his first UAAP finals appearance six years earlier.

With the five-peat, Black had steered the Ateneo Blue Eagles to the pinnacle of collegiate basketball with a program he built from the ground up in his eight years as head coach. It was a storybook ending for the Ateneo community and it was the perfect exit for Black, who returns to the Philippine Basketball Association for the first time in 10 years to coach the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters.

A golden age

Other schools had stumbled in their own drives for five in the past. Led by head coach Januario “Aric” del Rosario, top-seeded UST was also on the quest for a fifth straight title in Season 60. It turned out to be an upset that marked the end of UST’s four-year dynasty in the UAAP, as the De La Salle University Green Archers bested UST in the Final Four, overcoming the Tigers’ twice-to-beat advantage.

In Season 65, La Salle built a league-best 13-1 win-loss standing as they gunned for a fifth straight title. Against them were the Cinderella-story Blue Eagles bannered by Enrico Vilanueva, Larry Fonacier, Wesley Gonzales and LA Tenorio and headed by Coach Joel Banal. Sporting a measly 4-5 record late in the second round, Ateneo won its last five games to claim the third seed in the Final Four.

Gec Chia buried a Robert Horry-like game-winner that stunned twice-to-beat University of the East (UE) Red Warriors and booked Ateneo to a rematch of the Season 64 finals against La Salle. After three games that brought out the best from the two archrivals, Ateneo defeated La Salle to claim the crown after a 14-year drought, crushing the Taft-based squad’s near-perfect five-peat hopes.

Ateneo now holds the second-longest winning streak in the seniors division of the UAAP basketball tournament. The past five years have been the Golden Age of Ateneo basketball thanks to the leadership of Black, and it was something he attributed to “a great coaching staff.”

The longest streak, however, still belongs to the seven-peat of UE from 1965 to 1972 under head coach Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan, who also coached the Blue Eagles to two titles in the NCAA from 1975 to 1977.

The mighty Tigers

The ghost of Season 69 had been silenced as the Blue Eagles swept a formidable Tigers squad that sought to repeat the glory of 2006. Ateneo won Game One that year thanks to a brilliant inbound play by Black, but UST eventually won the title. Albeit holding the head coach position for only a year, Jarencio gave UST its first title since 1996.

The Tigers this year had much talent and depth in Karim Abdul, Aljon Mariano, Bautista, Kevin Ferrer, Jeric Teng and graduating players Fortuna and Melo Afuang.

“I have to give credit to the UST team; they’re a really good team,” said Black. “At the start of the year, I knew UST will be the team to beat.”

“UST gave us a really tough time,” said Ravena. “Coach Pido and their crew did an amazing job this year.”

When asked what helped clinch the win, Black commented that it was the Blue Eagles’ defense, which had been great throughout the season.

Against the tide

A few weeks leading to Season 75, it was clear: the UAAP was no longer Ateneo’s playground. Skeptics were vocal in stating that the five-peat was unlikely, especially since the Blue Eagles fell prey to the San Beda Red Lions, the De La Salle Green Archers and the National University Bulldogs in the FilOil Flying V Preseason Hanes Cup last summer.

The Bulldogs were named favorites to win the UAAP title as they swept the preseason. On the other hand, La Salle suddenly looked dangerous after new head coach Gee Abanilla and his young team outlasted the Blue Eagles in overtime of their FilOil matchup.

In an interview during the preseason, Assistant Coach Sandy Arespacochaga said, “The preseason has shown where the team is right now relative to where we want to be in terms of progress for the UAAP.” Critics also predicted a sophomore slump from Ravena as The Phenom had underperformed and his trademark jumper had not been falling. However, Arespacochaga said, “We’re not worried because those shots will come as the entire team gets more prepared for the coming UAAP season.”

Throwing in veteran team UST and contender Far Eastern University into the title mix gave much reason to believe that Season 75 would be the ultimate test for the reign of the Blue Eagles. Fears of losing the title defense suddenly became a full-blown reality in the 71-70 first round loss to UST in spite of the Blue Eagles’ 15-point lead. The best and worst of the Blue Eagles came out in near losses to the UP Fighting Maroons and Adamson Soaring Falcons. With other UAAP schools cheering at each Ateneo loss, it seemed like it was the Blue Eagles against the world in their five-peat campaign.

As the season progressed, the beauty of the system of Ateneo’s basketball program came into play. “We don’t want them to peak too early,” explained Andrei Tolentino, the strength and conditioning coach. “The program is designed for them to peak in the second round.”

As planned, this outcome had been observable in all of Black’s championship squads.

Unselfish basketball

It wasn’t just defense that helped win the five-peat; unselfish basketball also played its role. Players like Tiongson, Ryan Buenafe, JP Erram and Justin Chua came up big for the Blue Eagles. It was difficult to tell which player was going to play big for Ateneo as the Blue Eagles boasted one of the deepest rosters in the league.

Role players like Nico Elorde, Tonino Gonzaga, Frank Golla and Oping Sumalinog played quality minutes, highlighting the fact that every win was a team win. The coaching staff’s trust in Buenafe yielded dividends for Ateneo. Injected into the starting lineup during the second round, the returning veteran dished out assists to open teammates, made big shots and spaced out the floor for Ateneo’s big men.

Tiongson was perhaps the biggest revelation for the Blue Eagles this year. The former Blue Eaglet had big shoes to fill. “I was fortunate to have [Jai] Reyes and [Emman] Monfort giving me advice. Monfort told me to give more effort on defense, Reyes told me to play tough,” shared Tiongson. “I’m not as tough as Jeron [Teng], RR Garcia or Terrence Romeo, but I have Jai and Emman on my side.”

Ravena, however, is Ravena——The Phenom. “Any great team has a closer. You have to have a team who can close the game. He’s been that man for us,” said Black on the talented sophomore. Ravena is heralded by some as the second coming of a guard in the likes of former Blue Eagle LA Tenorio.

Chua, Salva and Gonzaga are hanging up their jerseys after five titles in five years with the Blue Eagles. “Never thought I’d have five titles. Coming into the game, I just wanted to win,” shared Salva, who was named Finals MVP.

“It’s great to be a part of this program. [I] learned from so many captains about sacrificing for the benefit of the entire team and the team purpose: the championship,” said Gonzaga. Meanwhile, Chua added, “Being able to play this long is just a bonus.”

Sumalinog and Slaughter, who also played their final year, expressed gratitude. “I owe Coach Norman so much. I want to thank him so much for putting me in this opportunity to win like this,” said Slaughter.

“This was the hardest title for us,” said Sumalinog in Filipino. “I’m grateful for everything.”

The dream years

While the Ateneo crowd’s cheers of celebration at the Smart Araneta Coliseum were deafening, less than six kilometers away, Ateneans who had flocked to watch the game live at Leong Hall were also cheering at the top of their lungs, momentarily forgetting about finals week. Driving along Katipunan Avenue, meanwhile, were trike drivers honking along the streets and crying “Five-peat!” and “Champion!”

“It’s an amazing feeling,” said Team Manager Paolo Trillo. These five years have been the dream years for Ateneo and it may be something Ateneans will not experience again for a long time.

Indeed, when the Blue Eagles bench had spilled out to the open court at the end of Game Two, the Eagle had soared its highest since it joined the UAAP in 1978—a fitting place in history for Blue Eagle the King.