THE LONG road to bringing the title home begins here. Even before the opening whistle is blown in the UAAP season, the Ateneo Blue Eagles have already begun their campaign to redeem themselves after last year’s heartbreaking exit at the hands of the La Salle Green Archers.
The Blue Eagles lost three of their key players – Ford Arao (AB IS ‘08), Zion Laterre (AB IS ‘08) to graduation and Ken Barracoso (AB Eco ’08) who forfeited his last playing year. But team captain Chris Tiu (V BSM AMF) does not have any worries for this year.
“In the previous years we lost [key players] but the following year we always come back strong,” he explained. He also said that they have younger guys who are already stepping up, like Nonoy Baclao (III AB IS), Kirk Long (II AB IS) and Eric Salamat (III AB IS).
Five rookies will be donning the Blue and White on the hardcourt. Coach Norman Black disclosed that the team has recruited Luis Gonzaga (II BS CTM), Vince Burke (I AB IS), Ryan Buenafe (I AB IS), Nico Salva (I AB IS) and Justin Chua (I AB IS). He said that the lineup is not yet cast in stone so there might be a significant change this year compared to last season.
Black also noted that their summer training is quite different from the previous years. “Last year we concentrated more on practice but this year we’ve played a lot more games,” he explained.
The Blue Eagles warmed up for the coming season with strong showings in summer competitions. The cagers were able to make the quarterfinals of both Nike Summer League and Fil-Oil Flying V Pre-Season Invitational Cup.
In the Fil-Oil Flying V Cup, the Blue Eagles bowed to De La Salle Green Archers on June 7, 78-70, in a game that featured numerous fouls and hasty shots from both teams. The game was a seesaw battle until the extra session, where five straight points from the Archers sealed the defeat of the Loyola cagers.
The loss followed their dominance over Katipunan-rival UP with a 72-51 last May 5. This was a comeback showing for the squad who squandered the lead and nearly lost a won ballgame against CSB last April 30, 76-72.
Ateneo became aware of the challenge posed by the FEU Tamaraws this season when the young Tams outgunned them 61-52 on April 28. The team’s veterans took over the game and led the team to a comfortable 73-68 win over the Mapua Cardinals last April 21.
“Of course in every season there’s going to be the ups and downs but we’re very excited and very optimistic about this year,” said Black.
Aside from their regular ball practice and weights training everyday, the basketball team also participated in the Abunazzar Impact Basketball Camp in Los Angeles, California from May 14 to May 30 in order to fully equip themselves for the competition this season. “I think we’re very competitive. We still have a lot of our veterans coming back… We still have other guys who will be stepping up. The thing is for the UAAP though, all teams are competitive so we really have to continue to work hard,” team manager Paolo Trillo explained.
Tiu also said that the Blue Eagles will continue to be one of the top teams in the league not just next year, but, hopefully, also in the following years. “I hope that in my last year, I’ll be able to start a trend of winning championships for the Ateneo Team. So I hope that all the Ateneo fans, alumni, students alike and even the non-Ateneans continue watching. It’s gonna be a fun, diverse, multi-cultural team that we’re gonna have,” he said.
