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.
Recap of the week (September 22 to September 29)
The Ateneo Blue Eagles swept the first round of UAAP Season 82, achieving the feat for the second time in three seasons. Ateneo opened up the week by picking up a 71-50 win against the competitive National University (NU) Bulldogs. Their second game was against the scrappy University of the East (UE) Red Warriors, who they handily defeated, 85-68. The final clash of the Blue and White was a highly-anticipated rematch of last season’s UAAP Finals, in which they brought home a 89-63 victory against the talented University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons. Ateneo currently sits atop the standings with a 7-0 record, two games ahead of UP, who is ranked second entering the second round.
This week’s games:
Saturday, October 5, 4:00 PM, vs University of Santo Tomas (UST) at the Mall of Asia Arena
Wednesday, October 9, 4:00 PM, vs Adamson University at the Smart Araneta Coliseum
Sunday, October 13, 12:00 PM, vs De La Salle University at the Mall of Asia Arena
1. The Blue Eagles are starting to hit their stride on offense
Neal: The Blue Eagles struggled shooting the ball in the first four games of the first round, shooting just 34.6% from the field and 20.6% from downtown—both stats rank dead last in the UAAP.
But ever since the FEU game, the Blue and White’s offense began operating more efficiently. The team set season-highs in field goal shooting in each of the last three outings: 40.9% against NU, 42.1% versus UE, and 48.0% against UP. The Blue Eagles also had their best scoring output in back-to-back games against UE and UP, tallying 85 points against the former and 89 markers versus the latter. While this has been the result of Ateneo squaring up against teams that play faster, it has also been a testament to Ateneo’s ability to play at different paces.
One factor that has certainly helped Ateneo’s offense in the last three games has been the points in the paint. In their first four matches, the Blue Eagles averaged 31 points on 52% shooting from the inside the shaded area which, at the time, was good for sixth in the UAAP. They took it to another level in the last three outings, as their averages from the interior jumped to 44 points on a sensational 70% clip. The dominance from inside culminated in the game against UP, which saw the Blue Eagles battling against tournament leaders in points scored in the paint through four outings at 41.5 per contest. But the Blue and White nearly doubled up the Fighting Maroons, 52-28, in points that came from the shaded area.
However, shooting from downtown remains a weakness for the Blue Eagles, as they have yet to crack even 30% shooting from three-point land in any game thus far. Thankfully for the Blue Eagles, the struggles from beyond the arc have not had any impact on the final outcome of the games. They made timely triples to break an occasional 2-3 zone, and more importantly, they had enough ball and player movement to keep the defense from clogging up the paint, which enabled Ateneo to be successful from inside the shaded area.
The Blue Eagles’s offensive numbers are finally trending upward. If they continue improving offensively and clamping down on defense, then a 14-0 season and a three-peat will definitely be within reach.
2. Mental mettle
Gio: If there’s one thing the Blue Eagles have demonstrated throughout their winning streak, it’s their mental toughness. In his three year tenure with Ateneo, Coach Tab Baldwin has effectively imparted a resilient basketball philosophy onto the Blue Eagles—a major contributor to the heights they’ve reached this season.
Ateneo’s admirable fortitude resonates from the team’s collective belief that, for them to achieve success, every man on the team must be able to go on the floor and execute the game plan. In fact, if you were to ask any Blue Eagle on the team, a consensus answer would be that they go into battle without notions of a star player. And it is through this creed that they firmly abide in, which allows them to draw strength from one another, from the first man until the sixteenth.
This particular characteristic was in full display during crucial points in the opening round matches, enabling Ateneo to go the extra mile when they needed it the most. In certain instances, it only took either a halftime break, a timeout, or even a mere out-of-bounds play for the Blue Eagles to put together a string of momentum-building plays. Before the conclusion of Ateneo’s 85-68 rout over UE, the Blue Eagles found themselves trailing by one point at halftime, 34-35. What followed the first half was a third quarter offensive masterclass from the Blue Eagles as they unleashed a 35-15 outscoring that came from the defending champions’ unified efforts.
Another case would be during the Battle of Katipunan where Ateneo saw themselves topple a formidable UP by 26 points, 89-63. Following a frenzied start to the game, Ateneo was able to cut the deficit to four at the end of the second quarter by retaliating UP’s potent offensive attack with an 18-8 run. Even if the following quarter saw the exit of UP Coach Bo Perasol, the Blue Eagles were able to initiate the third quarter with a blazing 17-4 advantage that gave them a comfortable margin as they cruised to the finish line. While the statistics show that the Blue Eagles could be a very dangerous team to contain in the third quarter, the team has shown that they can turn on the switch at any given point in any match.
The Blue Eagles aren’t doing anything special out there when they string together key runs—rather, they simply return to the qualities that made them great for two seasons running.
3. All business
Jaime: In their first-round sweep, the Blue Eagles had their fair share of difficulties. Trailing for most of the game versus UST, a surprisingly slow first half against UE, a close first half against (supposed) powerhouse UP, and poor shooting throughout the round will attest to that.
However, what has been impressive is the calmness with which they have approached these situations. The Blue Eagles never seem to get too high or too low during games. Against the growling UST squad’s 42% shooting from deep, they managed to escape with a scrappy win that saw multiple key stops down the stretch, including an Ange Kouame block on Soulemane Chabi Yo’s go-ahead attempt. Against UE and UP, Ateneo stormed out the halftime break outscoring each team by double digits in the third quarter. In both these games, they never looked back, winning by 18 and 26 respectively.
While it is always easy to credit these runs to inspiring halftime speeches and dominant individual performances, something must be said about the disciplined workman’s attitude the Blue Eagles have exuded thus far. Everyone seems to know their role on their team and does it well. Moreover, no one seems to stray too far from these roles no matter how well or horrible they are playing.
“Synergy” is a term used to describe the creation of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. In the Blue Eagles’ context, the synergy between the coaches and the boys just allows the entire team to flourish. For example, Will Navarro and Ange Kouame’s discipline and length on defense allow guards like Matt Nieto and Gian Mamuyac to hound ball-handlers without fear of a bucket on a drop-pass or a drive to the rim. On offense, Pat Maagdenberg’s willingness to use his heft and set screens has given SJ Belangel free spaces to work his magic. Thirdy Ravena also understands the gravity he imposes on the defense. Even if he does not have eye-popping scoring totals, his patience allows him to make the right reads to lead to a plethora of scoring opportunities for his teammates. I could go on and on about intangibles the players exude to elevate one another.
A college squad this disciplined and aware of the players’ individual strengths and weaknesses is uncanny. I remember the first year Tab Baldwin took over as head coach—pundits thought Ateneo would be lucky to make the Final Four. However, with Baldwin’s guidance, they made the finals before bowing out to La Salle. That was the first season the core group of Ravena, the Nieto Twins, Isaac Go, and Adrian Wong all played significant minutes together. The professionalism, patience, and intelligence each of these players has developed is unmistakable.
A lot of this is the result of the coaching staff’s guidance. After the win against UE earlier this season, Coach Tab shared his simple demand from his players. “We always tell them to do your damn job…we want them to do their damn jobs,” said Baldwin. If they continue doing their jobs like they did in the first round, the Blue Eagles will soar straight to the finals once more.
