BACK-TO-BACK.
That was what last season was all about. Championship or bust, we wanted more, we were hungry.
Behind the core of Nonoy Baclao and Rabeh Al-Husseini, the Blue Eagles romped to the championship in dominant fashion, dropping only two games all year capturing the UAAP Season 72 basketball championship.
With the departures of the captains, Baclao and Husseini as well as co-captain Jai Reyes, this year’s Eagles have remade themselves into a totally different animal. They don’t have a six-foot seven low post meal ticket nor do they have a bean-pole with a penchant for wiping the glass clean and erasing opposing foray’s into the paint. And while there are many questions heading into the final stretch of the pre-season, one thing is for sure; these Blue Eagles know how to win.

Rebuilding
Replacing three starters is difficult under any circumstance, but when those three starters double as your three captains, holdovers will need to step up, none more so, perhaps, than electrifying shooting-guard Eric Salamat.
Showing flashes of brilliance and a flare of the dramatic, the feisty guard will now be expected to shoulder much of the offense this year. While he did put up great numbers throughout the elimination rounds, Salamat noticeably wilted during the Finals. If the Blue Eagles are to make a serious championship round, they need their leader to be able to right the ship, no matter on which stage.
Sharing the offensive load with Salamat will be junior power-forward Nico Salva. Last year’s UAAP sixth man of the year, Salva will be taking his place in the starting five and is key to the success of this team. Though not as offensively dominant as Al-Husseini, Salva has a repertoire of post moves as well as a mid-range jump shot that defenders must respect. Beyond his offense, the Blue Eagles will need him to play like a true big man, crashing boards and taking up space in the paint on the defensive end.
The void in the middle left by the graduating seniors will be filled in by a tandem of call-ups from the B-Team: beanpole JP Erram and banger Jason Escueta. While both big men do take up space in the paint, they will need to show a willingness to mix it up with the ever-thickening forest of big men in the UAAP.
The bench has been a staple of the Blue Eagles attack during their back-to-back run and this year may be their deepest yet. With underclassmen getting a few notches under their belt, the youth-driven bench led by Ryan Buenafe and Bacon Austria could simply overwhelm opposing reserves.
Back-up point guard Juami Tiongson should slide into a larger role, relieving starting point guard Emman Monfort. Senior Tonino Gonzaga would also be a burst of energy off the bench with his active defense and willingness to slash to the rim.
Beyond graduation, the Blue Eagles also lost veteran Oping Sumalinog to pre-season injury and reserve power-forward Vince Burke will be moving back to the United States to pursue his studies.

Pre-season tournaments
Participating in simultaneous pre-season tournaments, the Blue Eagles have had more than their fair share of games. In the Filoil Flying-V First Five Invitational Cup, Ateneo has secured a place in the quarterfinals after a 6-1 record in the elimination round, the sole loss coming at the hands of rival De La Salle University, 77-74.
Nico Salva has shown an ability to carry the team through their first seven games and ranks in the top ten players by statistical measure.
The Blue Eagles have also managed well in the Fr. Martin Cup, procuring a record of 5-1 after the elimination round. A tough loss to shorthanded Far Eastern University (FEU) was the only blemish on an otherwise impressive run.
Defense was the corner stone of the last two Ateneo campaigns. By any measure, Ateneo was the best defensive team in the UAAP, allowing the least opponent points per game, at 64 points per outing, and forcing their opponents to shoot a UAAP low percentage. However, to this point, Ateneo has yet to show the defensive discipline that they have shown the last two years.
Of their last five games, only once were the Blue Eagle opponents held to that 64 point mark. While the perimeter defense is stable, as many holdovers occupy those positions, with a smaller frontcourt, the Ateneo defense is now vulnerable to drives to the rim which breaks down the defense entirely. Defense is nonetheless great at creating turnovers, which leads to easy transition baskets.

Looking Ahead
While the Ateneo team may have gotten a lot smaller, they also have become much faster. If the offense in the last few years has been methodical, ball movement creating open looks a la the Utah Jazz, this year’s offense has been about pushing the tempo a la the Phoenix Suns.
If the fast break is not an option, the Blue Eagles run a motion offense with guards running off screens to get corner threes or wide open looks for big men. While at times this offense is explosive, this brand of basketball is also susceptible to prolonged cold streaks leading to giant swings, for better or for worse.
The Blue Eagles are still a work in progress. The entirety of the pre-season thus far was played before the grueling visit to the Joe Abunassar Impact Basketball Camp in Las Vegas where the players were faced with a gauntlet of two weeks worth of two-a-day practices. Word from the camp says the players are being pushed farther than past years and look to be in top shape coming home.
The competition this year is stiff. The Blue Eagles already have losses to their name against fellow UAAP participants. FEU is bolstered by their Gilas players; Aldrich Ramos and JR Cawaling. Adamson now boasts the biggest team in the league. The young but talent laden Green Archers are now a year older.
But guess what. The Blue Eagles are still hungry. Back-to-back-to-back.