The 2016 Filoil Preseason Premier Cup has given new coach Tab Baldwin a chance to experiment with the players left in the squad, giving viewers a glimpse of the young team’s potential. With new faces on display and veterans stepping into key roles, the Blue Eagles tuned themselves up throughout the tourney. Last year, the Blue Eagles were unable to participate due to schedule conflicts with their out of country training.
Elimination Round
The Blue Eagles were drawn into Group B alongside the University of the East, archrivals De La Salle University, and NCAA teams: Mapua Institute of Technology, Lyceum of the Philippines University, San Beda College and Colegio de San Juan de Letran.
After losing their first game against UE in overtime, The Blue Eagles earned their first win against Adamson as returning big man Kris Porter and Mike Nieto led the balanced attack with with 14 points and 7 rebounds each.
20 days after, the Blue Eagles played their next game against last year’s NCAA champions, Letran. The Ateneo coaching staff requested for the break so players could focus on their final academic requirements. The Blue Eagles showed no signs of rust despite the long lay-off, as they got their second straight victory with another balanced scoring output, led by Thirdy Ravena. This game also featured the debut of transferee CJ Perez. The former San Sebastian Stag turned Blue Eagle finished with 8 points and 8 rebounds.
After extending their winning streak to 3 from the game against Lyceum of the Philippines University, the Blue Eagles then suffered their second defeat in the tourney against UAAP archrival—De La Salle Green Archers— losing massively, 66-98. This game was a wake up call to the disparity in UAAP-readiness between the two teams. After the game, Coach Tab Baldwin praised the DLSU basketball program under new coach Aldin Ayo and how much more work Ateneo must do to equal the excellence shown by their rivals.
“They’re a big, physical, mature basketball team, and we are really none of those things. We have to take steps to make gains in all of those areas.” said Baldwin.
Off-Court Issues
A detour then hit the Blue Eagles roster as Ateneo announced that seven of the team’s players did not reach the required QPI (Quotient Point Index) to be eligible for playing in UAAP Season 79. Among the seven were Season 77 guard Clint Doliguez, Season 77 Rookie of the Year Arvin Tolentino, Season 78 debutants Hubert Cani and Jerie Pingoy, controversial big man John Apacible, Kemark Carino who was on Ateneo’s Team B, and the highly anticipated CJ Perez, who reportedly began practicing with Lyceum shortly after the news broke.
“It’s not just the big loss in terms of their [contributing] to the team, but also you feel sad for them. We didn’t want to see these guys go,” said Coach Sandy Arespacochaga when asked about the matter. “Some might still have a chance for probation, so we’re hoping that whoever can stay on for probation can indeed stay, but if not we still wish them well, even if they play for another school.”.
Despite losing these players, the Blue Eagles rounded the eliminations with a 4-3 slate, landing on the 3rd seed heading into the quarterfinals from Group B. This resulted from being able to bounce back with a win against Mapua and a loss to the Filoil defending champions, San Beda College.
“Those players are very talented players, but credit to the guys remaning here (as part of the team), they stepped up, and not just one or two, but as a team. There are a couple of games where different players led the team in scoring or stepped up in terms of defense.”
Knockout Stage
In the quarterfinal match, rising Blue Eagle Adrian Wong finished 13 points whilst Ikeh and shooter Anton Asistio had 12 apiece to lead the Blue Eagles to a 68-59 win over the University of Perpetual Help. Advancing to the semifinals led to a rematch between the Green Archers, who have remained undefeated in the tourney. The Blue Eagles saw improvement even without Point Guard Tio in the game. However, the domineering team prevailed and earned their ninth winning streak, ending the game with a score of 92- 77.
In their final game of the tourney, The Blue Eagles defeated the NU Bulldogs 66-54 to claim 3rd place, which was a worthy result for a young team still in its rebuilding phase.
“Getting third is good for us. It can be a good take- off point for the UAAP,” said Arespacochaga, not only citing the loss of the seven players halfway through the tourney, but also the departure of Kiefer Ravena, Von Pessumal, Alfonso Gotladera, and Gwyn Capacio.
One Big Fight
Overall, Arespacochaga was very happy with the team’s overall performance in the tourney. Despite critics stating that the Blue Eagles may not even be able to make it into the quarters, the 3rd place result did not surprise him at all.
“I’ve seen how these guys work. I’ve seen the attitude of these guys. We’ve fought through adversities on and off the court and these guys have responded to the coaching staff’s call,” added Arespacochaga. “I’ll be surprised if we stop improving. With the work ethic and attitude of these guys, that would surprise me. But so far, this hasn’t been a surprise to us.”
When asked about the biggest takeaway from the Filoil tournament, Arespacochaga said: “The lessons we learn individually, the lessons the team has learned collectively, but more important than those X’s and O’s, it’s really our battle cry ‘One Big Fight’. We’ve got to make sure that in each game, each half, each quarter, each possession, we really play with ‘One Big Fight’ and the hearts of these guys showed it. We’ve seen it.”
Is there any way CJ Perez can still make it to the UAAP roster?