“GO ATENEO, one big fight!” filled the Araneta Coliseum on the evening of October 11, 2012. The Blue Eagles were just one win away from their historic five-peat in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 75 Men’s Basketball Tournament. In game two of the finals, the crowd saw the Blue and White face a familiar foe in the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers. However, once the final buzzer sounded, fans in blue shouted in pride as confetti dropped from the rafters and covered the arena floor. On the hardcourt, the Blue Eagles shed tears of joy after cementing their place in the league’s history book as the first team to ever complete a five-peat.

The championship culminated all the hard work and sacrifices of the team after a shaky preseason performance and mounting pressure from critics. Simultaneously, it served as a fitting farewell for Head Coach Norman Black, who had earlier announced his transition from coaching in the collegiate level to the professional scene in the Philippine Basketball Association. With the departure of their chief tactician and the graduation of key players, the five-peat crown cemented the Blue Eagles’ legacy as the Norman Black era came to a close.

The final chapter

Coming off four consecutive UAAP crowns, the Blue Eagles entered Season 75 primed and ready to defend their throne at the top. Fans of the Blue and White poured in support in anticipation of a historic season for the Ateneo squad.

However, amid the sea of supporters were critics who were skeptical with a five-peat’s possibility due to the Blue Eagles’ poor preseason performance. In particular, the Blue Eagles ended the FilOil Flying V Preseason Hanes Cup with a second-runner up finish behind UAAP rivals De La Salle University Green Archers and National University Bulldogs.

Many suspected that Ateneo’s poor preseason play resulted from the underlying pressure of defending their UAAP crown. However, Black refuted this and revealed that there was no real pressure imposed by those who doubted Ateneo’s capabilities. “[The pressure] was more because when everybody is looking up at you and expecting you to do well, you want to do well,” said Black.

Stairway to success

True enough, the Blue Eagles were an entirely different team come the UAAP season. After reevaluating the turnout of their preseason games, the Blue Eagles came into Season 75 with only one thing in mind: The championship. They finished the regular season atop the standings with a 12-2 win-loss record, only dropping two close games to UST and the University of the East Red Warriors.

On paper, the Blue Eagles had a stacked roster, with Black having the likes of Nico Salva, Greg Slaughter, and Season 74 Rookie of the Year Kiefer Ravena at his disposal. The Blue Eagles also had a pool of veteran players who could step up to the plate when necessary, such as Oping Sumalinog, Tonino Gonzaga, Justin Chua, and Juami Tiongson.

“We had the bigs to really dominate,” said Black. “I even had the small guys like Kiefer Ravena in his second year, so we were loaded. I’m not gonna lie to you. I won’t say that we didn’t have the talent because we definitely did,” he added.

With Ateneo’s talent and size, the Blue Eagles asserted their dominance on the court. However, it was the players’ attitude that really pushed the Blue and White over the top. A perfect example of this is Gonzaga, who—despite playing limited minutes in his final year—earned Black’s praise by proving his value beyond the court. “Tonino Gonzaga was a great locker room guy. His playing time was unpredictable, but his attitude was very good and positive. He cheered for every player. I never heard any discouraging words from [him]. He’s the hardest working player in the gym,” commented Black.

All these were a result of Black’s instillment of a winning culture within the team. Simultaneously, the players had massive respect for Black as they were products of his newly revamped recruiting network from the provinces and abroad. “We had a great recruiting class. We brought in a really good group of players,” mentioned Black.

Despite coming from various basketball backgrounds, it didn’t take long for the new Blue Eagles to find themselves a home within the team. Whether they played together for only a year or a full five years, they all had the opportunity to form relationships together. By the fifth championship run, they all knew that they could depend on one another through thick and thin. “At that point, we were a family already. We were very comfortable with the system and coaches,” shared Salva.

In an interview with ABS-CBN’s The Score last year, point guard Juami Tiongson mentioned that the Blue Eagles’ bond also helped them shun the opinions of critics and focus on themselves instead. “It’s just us. Whatever happens, [whether] we win or lose, those criticisms may come, [but] they don’t matter because [those critics] are not part of the inner circle,” Tiongson proudly said.

Salva echoed this statement and shared how crucial their off-court experiences were to their success as a team. He cited their offseason training in Las Vegas as one of the most significant experiences that strengthened their relationship. Whether it was shopping in outlet stores, or buying post-training meals, everyone on the team contributed to that lasting bond.

“Those were the moments na really nagbuild ng team namin. Not just sa court pero sa samahan, tiyaka yung character ng team. I think those were really helpful for us to win those championships. (Those were the moments that really built our team. I think those were really helpful for us to win those championships),” shared Salva.

History in the books

With a combination of a winning culture and strong team chemistry, the Ateneo Blue Eagles built a brotherhood through their sweat in training, bondings in the offseason, and the trophies they lifted together. Amid all the criticisms and doubts, players and coaches alike were united in their ultimate goal: To achieve the Drive for Five.

This Ateneo team set a standard for what it was like to represent the Blue and White. Putting on a jersey with “Ateneo” across the chest meant leaving everything out on the floor. It meant having a winning attitude. With Black’s coaching prowess paired with exceptional talent and attitude from each player, the Blue Eagles showed what a team can do with the right culture in place.

After 76 wins and five titles to their name, Season 75’s final buzzer signaled the end of arguably the best era of Ateneo basketball. For Black and his squad, that fifth title cemented their legacy as one of the best teams to ever play in the UAAP.