Basketball: Tonino Gonzaga

By Ally M. Lim

Photo by Ryan Y. Racca

Late in the first quarter, while Kirk Long and Keifer Ravena sit on the bench after having started the game, is his time to shine. “When I come off the bench, I give energy to the team.  When I make good plays, it helps them feel energized and helps them pick up the pace,” he says.

From nine minutes of total playing time in UAAP Season 71, to averaging 13 minutes per game this season. Filling out the number 7 jersey, Luis Lorenzo Gonzaga, better known, as “Tonino” or “Zags” is the 23 year-old guard who has been hustling his way to the top ever since his grade school years.

Though, he may not get as much face time as his other teammates, the limelight is not his goal. For him, it’s a never-ending mantra of perseverance and hard work.

A true-blue Atenean, Tonino’s journey to the senior’s team can be traced back to his father. “My dad actually played for team B in Ateneo,” he says.

“He talked about it a lot when I was young, so I got interested.”

In sixth grade, Tonino tried out for the varsity team and made it. Playing for his alma mater in high school, he was a member of the Ateneo Blue Eaglets team that won the championship in 2006, along with long-time teammate, Bacon Austria.

When college came around though, Tonino was not recruited, and thus spent a year in team B.

The setback, however, did not dampen his hopes, “I just kept on working hard because results always show when I work hard day-in, and day-out,” Tonino shares. His perseverance eventually paid off when in 2008—his sophomore year—Coach Norman Black invited Tonino to join the senior’s team.

Inspired by the hard work and selflessness exhibited by his teammates and coaches, Tonino does not take opportunities for granted.  “I come in extra early.  Our practice usually starts at 4:30 pm for weights but I come in at 2:00 pm.  I start shooting or getting therapy.  Whatever I need to maintain my game,” he shares.

Currently in his second to the last year of college, Tonino strives to be a good example in practice by consistently giving his best at practice and at games.  He hopes the younger athletes will do the same when their time comes.

“I take a lot of pride in improving everyday since I work really hard and people noticing that I’ve been improving just adds fuel to the fire that’s burning.”

Badminton: Pawee Natividad

By Rafa M. Noel

Photo by Tim Arafiles

Against NU’s Jopert Escueta, when Toby Gadi was down 10-11 in the third and deciding game of the match, a certain Blue Shuttler was crouching down, seemingly praying like there was no tomorrow.

“I was trying to give him positive energy,” says Patrick Wilfred Natividad, who also goes by the nickname “Pawee.” Whether it worked or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that for the first time in eight UAAP seasons, the Blue Shuttlers can call themselves champions—thanks, in large part, to Pawee’s exploits.

He has beaten the likes of Ronel Estanislao and Aries Delos Santos, who are certified national team members. Save for a couple of hiccups in the middle of the season, Pawee has been dominant and, dare we say, Gadi-esque.

As a 7-year-old in Bulacan, Pawee took to tennis first. Finding it a tad bit too slow-paced for his liking, he switched to badminton and never looked back. Soon, his knack for exciting rallies and shuttle-pounding action landed him on the courts of the Asuncion Badminton Center in San Juan, where he has been honing his unique brand of play ever since.

Coming off a notable rookie campaign, the second year Interdisciplinary Studies major had a tumultuous start to Season 74. “The start for me was really bad. I didn’t feel that my game was coming together,” Pawee says in Filipino. “Then, as the season progressed, I felt the enjoyment on the court and I felt that I was improving as a player.”

At the onset, it seemed as though this season would be a repeat of the last. According to Pawee, when he first entered the league, he was a nobody, but when he started beating people left and right, he suddenly felt the pressure.

“This year, I’ve found a way to surpass that pressure,” he says confidently. True enough, those close to the team know that Pawee’s biggest enemy is usually himself. When he’s composed and undaunted, he can put shame to most anybody.

On the grandest stage of them all, this humble kid from Bulacan showed the badminton world just what he’s made of, winning all three of his singles matches in the playoffs. Pawee not only holds the unofficial record for most dives in a game, he’s also been known to win matches with nifty no-look drop shots.

Opponents beware; the next time they face Ateneo, officials might as well give the blue side an instant 2-0 edge. Yup, Pawee’s that good.

Against NU’s Jopert Escueta, when Toby Gadi was down 10-11 in the third and deciding game of the match, a certain Blue Shuttler was crouching down, seemingly praying like there was no tomorrow.

“I was trying to give him positive energy,” says Patrick Wilfred Natividad, who also goes by the nickname “Pawee.” Whether it worked or not doesn’t matter. What matters is that for the first time in eight UAAP seasons, the Blue Shuttlers can call themselves champions—thanks, in large part, to Pawee’s exploits.

He has beaten the likes of Ronel Estanislao and Aries Delos Santos, who are certified national team members. Save for a couple of hiccups in the middle of the season, Pawee has been dominant and, dare we say, Gadi-esque.

As a 7-year-old in Bulacan, Pawee took to tennis first. Finding it a tad bit too slow-paced for his liking, he switched to badminton and never looked back. Soon, his knack for exciting rallies and shuttle-pounding action landed him on the courts of the Asuncion Badminton Center in San Juan, where he has been honing his unique brand of play ever since.

Coming off a notable rookie campaign, the second year Interdisciplinary Studies major had a tumultuous start to Season 74. “The start for me was really bad. I didn’t feel that my game was coming together,” Pawee says in Filipino. “Then, as the season progressed, I felt the enjoyment on the court and I felt that I was improving as a player.”

At the onset, it seemed as though this season would be a repeat of the last. According to Pawee, when he first entered the league, he was a nobody, but when he started beating people left and right, he suddenly felt the pressure.

“This year, I’ve found a way to surpass that pressure,” he says confidently. True enough, those close to the team know that Pawee’s biggest enemy is usually himself. When he’s composed and undaunted, he can put shame to most anybody.

On the grandest stage of them all, this humble kid from Bulacan showed the badminton world just what he’s made of, winning all three of his singles matches in the playoffs. Pawee not only holds the unofficial record for most dives in a game, he’s also been known to win matches with nifty no-look drop shots.

Opponents beware; the next time they face Ateneo, officials might as well give the blue side an instant 2-0 edge. Yup, Pawee’s that good.