In line with the return of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines Men’s Basketball tournament, this weekly series will analyze the state of the Ateneo Blue Eagles in their quest for the four-peat.
AFTER TWO long years without a single season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP), the Ateneo Blue Eagles have hit the ground running with four wins to kick off the 84th UAAP season. The three-time defending champions began the men’s basketball tournament with a dominant victory in the Battle of Katipunan, defeating the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons 90-81.
In the next week, they fended off a fast-paced Far Eastern University (FEU) team in a 79-70 outing before delivering a 30-point blowout win against the Adamson Soaring Falcons. The Blue Eagles capped off the week with a 74-57 win against their long time rivals, the De La Salle Green University (DLSU) Green Archers.
Ateneo has not lost a game since October 10, 2018, boasting a 30-game win streak that they look to build on in their next slate of games. They are poised to matchup against National University, the University of the East, and the University of Santo Tomas to end the first round.
1. Tab Baldwin has unwavering faith in his bench unit
Vito: Despite losing much of the team’s veteran depth after their victory in UAAP Season 82, Ateneo’s roster remains as versatile as it has ever been.
In their very first game of the season against UP, Coach Baldwin immediately gave his bench ample time to operate, fielding 11 players in the first quarter alone.
The bench themselves have made the most of the sufficient time they’ve been given, providing standout performances on both ends of the floor. Senior point guard Tyler Tio had his time in the spotlight after dropping 17 points on FEU all in the third quarter alone. Team Captain Gian Mamuyac stepped up on the defensive end of the floor, encapsulated by his six-steal performance versus DLSU. While rookie Chris Koon’s numbers have yet to stand out on the stat sheet, his +34 net plus-minus in just 17 minutes of game time against Adamson spoke volumes about his impact.
The cherry on top of Ateneo’s week one bench performances is the fact that—in two of the four games they’ve played so far—every player that stepped foot on the court managed to score. Their impressive depth becomes all the more important with the current UAAP setting considering the shortened length of the season, where the games are scheduled closer together and risks for injury are increased.
2. The boring perfection of the Ateneo offense
Ray: At the start of games this season, the Blue Eagles gave up a few early points to their opponents before unleashing scoring barrages—forcing opposing teams to call an early timeout. While the team only had a quick training camp to get the players familiarized with the system for this season, everybody seems to have gelled on offense.
The stellar point guard play of SJ Belangel, Tio, and freshman favorite Forthsky Padrigao has allowed the Blue Eagles to succeed in their roles. With more ball movement than he is accustomed to in the seniors division, Dave Ildefonso has solidified himself as one of Ateneo’s main weapons. The execution on offense can also be highly attributed to the ability of the Blue Eagles’ bigs and forwards in making the right pass in the system.
Star big man Angelo Koaume is also once again proving why he was naturalized to play for the national team. Kouame had three double-doubles in four games and put the UAAP on notice in his last game against rivals DLSU with a statement 16-point and 19-rebound performance. His teammates are often left with open shots and second opportunities as his dominance on offense and rebounds continues to have the rest of the UAAP trying to stop him.
Ateneo often creates easy scoring opportunities when they are able to get into early sets and run the system through one another—testament to the work Baldwin and his staff have done to create the best offense in the UAAP this season.
3. Early season woes from notable Blue Eagles
Ralph: The collectively relentless offensive onslaught may run deep until the edges of Ateneo’s bench, but dynamic two-way guard Belangel has yet to claw his way out of a shooting slump in one week of action.
Belangel—UAAP Season 82 runner-up in three point percentage—shot an underwhelming 32% from the field and 1/17 from the perimeter through the Blue Eagles’ first four games in a tournament that has Ateneo ranked first in percentages beyond the arc.
Despite his inefficiencies, the senior guard dazzled in playmaking, with his team-leading 4.2 assists being a major factor in the team’s “pick your poison” type of offense.
The 5’10” tactician thrives in Ateneo’s Baldwin-designed half-court set where he frequently dishes out exquisite passes to open shooters or cutters thanks to the unit’s rapid off-ball movement and beneficial spacing. Once Belangel inevitably ramps up to his typical shooting percentages, the Blue Eagles’ offense will be a more dreadful nightmare for opposing defenses to deal with.
There is little to nitpick in Ateneo’s productive scoring, but there are evident deficiencies in defense. Specifically, the Blue Eagles allow opposing slashers and bruisers to feast in the paint due in large part to center Kouame’s slightly lower defensive output. The newly-naturalized big has per-game averages of 1.0 block and 13.2 rebounds in 27 minutes this season—a regression from his 3.9 blocks and 14.0 rebounds in 24 minutes per game in the previous season. Kouame’s low production in blocks may be tied to his heavier offensive duties, with the star big man being virtually involved in every offensive play due to the Blue Eagles’ schemes.
4. Large shoes to fill on the defensive end
Vito: While Ateneo has not necessarily been bad on the defensive end—they rank first in points allowed (63.75) and opponent Field Goal percentage (33.83%)—they have not been as overwhelmingly elite as they were in Seasons 81 and 82.
The Ateneo of old stood out for their defensive discipline while the current group is still prone to a few defensive lapses. They are currently second-to-last in free throws allowed (23.0), fouling often and giving up easy points at the line. They have also been uncharacteristically poor at finishing the defensive play, ranking as the worst team in the league at giving up second-chance points (13.25).
These defensive shortcomings have given the team a few scares in their recent victories: The Blue Eagles gave up worrying 2nd-half runs to both UP and FEU in their first two games of the season, letting both teams cut into their initial double-digit deficits. These late game runs were seldom seen against the past two iterations of Ateneo teams.
While the win-loss column might not show it, Ateneo has certainly felt the absence of the veterans they lost on the defensive side of the floor. It would be difficult to expect the current team to match the outstanding defensive output that their predecessors boasted. After all, Matt Nieto, Thirdy Ravena, Adrian Wong, and Will Navarro were all uniquely intelligent and disciplined defenders that worked seamlessly together under Baldwin’s system.
Still, it is hard to imagine that Baldwin would expect anything less than perfection from his squad on the defensive end, even with the ridiculously high bar set by his former teams. Though they hold a flawless record, there still remains much room for improvement for this current Ateneo team, and every Atenean fan should be ecstatic for what is to come.
