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 for the three-peat.

Ateneo opened UAAP Season 82 with two victories in as many games for a spotless 2-0 record. The Blue Eagles avenged last season’s opening loss to the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons with a dominant 70-52 win. Their second game was against rivals De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, where the Blue Eagles came out on top with an 81-69 victory. Ateneo is currently tied atop the standings alongside the upstart University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers, who they will face on Wednesday, September 11, 10:30 AM, at the Araneta Coliseum, Quezon City.

This week’s games:

Wednesday, September 11, 10:30 AM, vs UST Growling Tigers

Saturday, September 14, 4:00 PM, vs Far Eastern University Tamaraws

1. Ateneo’s rotation can go at least 12 or 13 deep

Neal: In the game against La Salle, all 12 players who came into the game received ample playing time, with no player playing less than five minutes. Head Coach Tab Baldwin has clearly been experimenting with different lineups, but so far everyone has shown the ability to compete at a high level—the “next man up” philosophy.

This depth has been key in Ateneo’s first two games, especially with the stars struggling to find their rhythm. Thirdy Ravena shot poorly to begin the season, making only 24% of his attempts in the first two games. Ange Kouame also hit blanks recently, making only three of his 12 attempts against La Salle. Despite these offensive woes from the Blue Eagles’ two best players, the team still won both of their games by an average of 15 points, underscoring the Blue Eagles’ unparalleled depth in the collegiate ranks. 

A couple members of Ateneo’s supporting cast, in particular, have shone. William Navarro, who has put up near-double-double performance in both games, has been an integral piece of their offense. BJ Andrade immediately came in when La Salle deployed a 2-3 zone, providing a spark by hitting a pair of threes late in the third quarter. Gian Mamuyac, who started in place of the injured Adrian Wong, made clutch play after clutch play to close out the Green Archers. And of course, it was their skipper Mike Nieto who stepped up when the team needed it most, coming off the bench against DLSU and scoring a game-high 18 points on an efficient 64% clip.

“It shows how the culture of our team is evident during the game—even off the court,” Mike Nieto explained after the DLSU win. “Adrian [Wong] was talking to BJ [Andrade] [before the game], just to be ready given an opportunity. ‘Yung sinasabi nga ni Coach Tab [Baldwin] na 1-16 man namin, kailangan palaging present (Coach Tab Baldwin says that all of us, from the 1st to the 16th man, should always be present to give their all).”

The team has only begun to scratch the surface of how good they can be this season. Once Ravena and Kouame regain their offensive rhythm and the players around them continue to make plays, the rest of the UAAP should be put on notice.

2. Angelo Kouame’s defense is a spectacle

Jaime: The Blue Eagles haven’t come screaming out of the gate in terms of offense, but the same cannot be said about their outstanding defense. The whole team has looked sharp on D, but central to Ateneo’s suffocating defensive swagger is second-year center Angelo Kouame. Kouame is Ateneo’s anchor on defense. As expected, his nearly 7’0” stature, infinite length, and quick feet have led him to averages of 15 rebounds, two steals, and a league-leading 5.5 blocks per outing—more than the averages of the seven other UAAP teams. Moreover, he has led the league with his +47 plus-minus rating, which means the team has outscored opponents by a whopping 47 points while he’s been on the floor.

However, there is so much Kouame brings to the table that stats fail to show. He possesses a mix of physicality and intelligence that is ideal for a defensive anchor. For instance, there were sequences against DLSU where Kouame overpowered the Archers into turnovers or bad shots. 

Kouame’s quick feet were also on full display against the Green Archers. From guarding the towering Justine Baltazar, Kouame flashed the ability to switch onto quick and clever guards like Aljun Melecio and Andrei Caracut. The two guards tried to attack him and create plays, but Kouame’s agility, positioning, and length suffocated the ball handlers, while denying the angle of a pass to Baltazar. Kouame’s ability to pressure guards and deny passing lanes to opposing bigs simultaneously is pure gold to Coach Tab—and a nightmare for anyone running a pick-and-roll this season.

Kouame’s impressive motor and floor speed are game-bending weapons on their own. Even though he begins most transition plays from deep in the paint, Kouame makes up ground with his length, which allows him to eat space like no one else in the league. 

If LeBron James and John Wall tantalize crowds with chase-down highlights in the pro leagues, Kouame is making his case for chasedown king in the UAAP (watch out, Thirdy). At least three of his 11 blocks in Ateneo’s first two outings have come on defensive transitions. 

The season is young, but expect teams to dread facing Ateneo’s Leviathan in Ange Kouame.

3. Offensive woes and silver linings

Gio: Though Ateneo has established a fierce defensive identity anchored by the likes of Mamuyac and Kouame, the team as a collective unit has struggled to find their rhythm on the offensive end. In their first two outings in Season 82, the Blue Eagles have tallied the second-worst field goal percentage, shooting at a sub-par 34.18% from the floor. On top of that, the team sits at the bottom of the league in terms of three-point shooting percentage at an abysmal 15.87% clip. To put things into perspective, Ateneo only converts five triples per game while taking an average of 31.5 shots from deep—a far cry from their 27.4 3PT% on 30 attempts per game last season. 

It is commendable that every single player on the team does not hesitate to launch the ball from beyond the arc—a true testament to the confidence instilled by Coach Tab Baldwin. However, the Blue Eagles have not experienced much luck from outside; the team gradually struggles to convert clean attempts after being freed up by several well-timed screens. Baldwin’s two-point guard setup’s caveat is that the team lacks a pure three-point marksman, similar to the likes of Anton Asistio, who used to light it up from downtown at an impressive 45.2% 3FG rate in Season 81. 

Nevertheless, there exists a silver lining in the Blue Eagles’ struggles as of late. What the team lacks in offense is expiated by their grit and hustle on every possession. On paper, Ateneo looks like a middle-of-the-pack squad as their remarkable defense is wildly offset by their league-low averages on the offensive end. But what makes them truly special cannot merely be reflected by numbers on a piece of paper. 

In their past two games, Ateneo has played like they’re ignited by an undying flame as seen in the way they risk their lives for the ball on every possession and fight as if they were still down by 20. Beyond the score or statistics, what makes this team a cut above the rest is that, regardless of whether a player is first or sixteenth on the rotation, the Blue Eagles can expect each man to fight tooth and nail until the final buzzer.