In line with the ongoing University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Basketball tournament, this weekly series will analyze the state of the Ateneo Blue Eagles in their quest to reclaim the crown.
Recap of the Week (October 14 to October 20):
The Ateneo Blue Eagles started the second round by securing another pair of double-digit victories. Just like on opening day, Ateneo started by pounding the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons, 71-59. Following that, the Blue Eagles survived a first half scare against the National University (NU) Bulldogs by clamping down defensively in the second half en route to a 13-point win, 85-72. Ateneo now sits firmly ahead of the rest of the competition at 9-0, and can clinch a Final Four slot with a win this Saturday against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws.
Upcoming Games:
October 21, Saturday, 4:00 PM vs the FEU Tamaraws
October 28, Saturday, 2:00 PM vs the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors
Weekly Takeaways:
1. Coach Tab Baldwin’s lineups provide a glimpse into the future.
Late in the second half against NU, the struggling Blue Eagles came out with an intriguing five-man lineup that had yet to play together this season. Coach Tab Baldwin trotted out a Jolo Mendoza and Tyler Tio backcourt with Gian Mamuyac and Raffy Verano as the forwards, and Isaac Go as the lone center. Surprisingly, the lineup, composed of four first and second-year players, helped Ateneo regain control of the game and eventually the victory.
With five games remaining in the second round, Coach Tab Baldwin has continued to tinker with the rotation. The depth of the Blue Eagles has given him an arsenal of options; Kris Porter played extended minutes during the Adamson match, and Jawuan White was subbed in along with the starters during the NU game. The substantial leads that Ateneo usually possesses has given Baldwin even more incentive to test out different lineups.
The aforementioned five he used against NU is one example of a lineup that can possibly be used more in the remaining games. With the two point guards, Tio and Mendoza on the court at the same time, it was the taller and rangier Tio who moved to shooting guard. The shooting potential of the duo is immense: Mendoza and Tio shoot 50% and 44.4%, respectively, from three-point distance this season. The spacing alone that the pair provided had a positive effect to the Ateneo offense.
It was not a perfect pairing, however. Young guards normally struggle on defense, and the duo was not an exemption. Mendoza and Tio, who both have lethal pull-up jumpers, are also a lot more effective with the ball in their hands. The further development of their off-ball games will be key down the line.
Verano looks primed to fill the playmaking role at the four spot that Vince Tolentino currently occupies. Go, on the other hand, who now shoots a reliable 36% from the three-point line, will play a major role next season, while Mamuyac has been making noise lately. The NU match gave a brief look into the future, and based on what the group displayed, the outlook of the Blue Eagles looks promising.
2. Gian Mamuyac is making an impact, even if the stats don’t say so.
After Ateneo’s huge victory over the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers to close out Round 1, Matt Nieto was the talk of the UAAP. Ateneo’s starting point guard led the team in scoring, and also shined in the clutch with his game-saving deflection and go-ahead free throws. Nieto’s heroics won the hearts of the Ateneo faithful that day, and deservedly so. However, that whole sequence would not have been completed if not for Ateneo’s soft spoken rookie Gian “Mamu” Mamuyac.
Just as Kib Montalbo threw in the inbounds pass, Mamu turned towards the play, recognized his teammate’s potential back tap, then dashed towards the ball. Despite coming from across the court, Mamuyac used his quick recognition, speed, and long wingspan to force DLSU’s Andrei Caracut to throw the ball right into the hands of Nieto as the Green Archer fell out of bounds.
It was a Herculean play from the rookie who was playing in first Ateneo-La Salle game in the college ranks, yet his effort was unseen on the final stat sheet. In fact, so far this season, the rookie is putting up just 2.7 points on 26.9% from the field, and only has three steals in total.
But the eye-test proves to be more indicative of the backup wing’s impact on the game. Against NU, Mamuyac put up eight points, two assists, and one steal, but his biggest impact was the ability to limit top Bulldog Jjay Alejandro to just six points on two of nine shooting in the second half.
There was a specific set of plays late in the third quarter wherein his ball denial forced back-to-back NU turnovers again. He picked it up on offense as well, drawing fouls and dishing out a couple of assists to put Ateneo ahead. His energy translated to the rest of the team, as they pulled away by giving up just seven points to the Bulldogs in the final frame.
However, amidst this strong stretch of games, Mamuyac did struggle coming out of the gates in his rookie season. In his first four games, Mamuyac averaged just one point and registered the lowest plus-minus rating of the team for three of those games.
Still, the former Blue Eaglet has earned the trust from the coaching staff through his intensity on the defensive end and his ability to play within the offensive system. At the end of the day, the multidimensional guard knows that he does not need to put up big numbers to have his fingerprints all over a game. He is aware that his role is to play premiere perimeter defense, and will be satisfied for as long as the Blue Eagles come away with the win in the end.
“I’m just doing my job,” Mamuyac said of his defensive work against JJay Alejandro. “The points are just a bonus.”
Very good analysis. I look forward to Guidon’s articles on the ABE for another source of insights into our games. I reviewed the video I took of the last few seconds of the Ateneo-La Salle game to confirm Gian’s role. The video footages I took are welcomed by my brods in Canada who don’t have accesses to live streaming of our UAAP games. kudos Guidon, OBF.