After a quick offseason, the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Basketball Tournament is back. This weekly series will analyze the state of the Ateneo Blue Eagles as they look to avenge last season’s finals loss.

THE ATENEO Blue Eagles bounced back after a back-breaking loss to the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons by claiming two straight victories with a combined 36-point margin. Their fourth win came on Wednesday after making quick work of the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons, 76-55. They did not get complacent in their succeeding game as well, discarding the feisty University of the East (UE) Red Warriors for a 91-76 victory.

With the team starting to click on both ends of the court, Ateneo now aims for a more successful second round as they look to secure a twice-to-beat advantage heading into the Final Four. This week, Ateneo will open their second round campaign against the Soaring Falcons on Saturday, October 29, 4:00 PM at the Araneta Coliseum. 

1. Assessing the depth of the Blue Eagles’ pool

Anton: WHEN LOOKING at the current win-loss record of Ateneo in the UAAP Season 85 standings, a common assessment on the matter would be that they are not performing up to their usual standards. Their current record is unexpected since the team finished with only one loss in the elimination round of Season 84 and swept the entire league in Season 82. This leaves many wondering where it all went south for the once three-time defending champions of the league. 

While the loss of point guard SJ Belangel was a central factor to the worries surrounding the current squad, his replacement Forthsky Padrigao has done tremendously to fill the gaping hole as a premier playmaker. Meanwhile, BJ Andrade has taken the leap as captain and has become a key cog to Ateneo’s offensive attack. Starting forward Dave Ildefonso has made big strides as a shot creator and floor spacer while Ange Kouame continues to look like the star that won Most Valuable Player just a few months ago. Moreover, Kai Ballungay has started to get more comfortable with Coach Tab Balwin’s system and has become a huge contributor for the Blue Eagles on both ends of the floor. Their individual talents create a harmonious blend within the starting group, which has dominated the rest of the league一ranking first among all team starters at 58.29 PPG.

Despite the evident dominance of the starting five, we cannot expect them to play the entire 40 minutes of game time. In previous years, relying on depth and an effective bench was not so much a concern for the Loyola Heights-based team. Last season saw seasoned vets Gian Mamuyac and Tyler Tio make immediate impacts from the second unit, sustaining the contributions made by the Season 84 starters for the Blue and White. With both those athletes now in the professional leagues, the production has certainly dipped with an inexperienced bench. In fact, the Blue Eagles have the lowest ranked second unit in terms of points, sitting at 20.43 PPG, an uncharacteristic place to be in for a team coached by Baldwin in any statistical category. 

Depth has been the biggest problem separating Ateneo from other contenders like UP and De La Salle University, both of which can heavily rely on their second stringers. The Blue Eagles lack the luxury on that end, which puts too much load on the starters to keep the team afloat. As we now enter the second round of the season, the competition has increased, the lights are brightened, and concerns are at a premium. Pressure is now on the entire Blue Eagles roster to show what they are truly made of and put those doubts to bed.

2. BJ Andrade’s subtle offensive growth

Vito: THROUGHOUT THE elimination rounds of Season 84, BJ Andrade was almost exclusively utilized by coach Tab Baldwin as an off-ball floor spacer. From the 60 shots that Andrade took throughout Season 84, 44 of them were three-point attempts. In the first round of Season 85 though, Coach Baldwin has pushed the captain to increase his production with the ball in his hands rather than having others create opportunities for him as he spots up. In only half the games played, Andrade has already surpassed the 16 two-pointers he took in the previous season with 22 attempts. 

This play versus UE is a perfect example of Andrade’s growth on the offensive end. As the initial action for the Padrigao pick-and-roll is halted, Andrade lifts from the corner to the wing and gives Padrigao a better passing angle towards him. Had he been in this situation four months ago, Andrade would have likely kicked the ball to Chris Koon at the top of the key to set something up on the other end of the court. Instead, he rejects the screen from  Ballungay and finds the open lane to the rim. 

With the ball in his hands more often than before, Andrade has also been entrusted to create space for others as well. While he still is not the most polished distributor on the court and can still be often late to find hidden passing angles,  he can still make the simple reads that keep the offense going.

On this simple screen, he sees the opportunity to throw a lob to the rolling Kouame, but the pass is a little too high. With Kouame being the best pick-and-roll threat in the UAAP though, the Ivorian center manages to salvage the play and get quick points off the board.

However, Ateneo fans should not expect Andrade to create plays like this each and every possession. Despite his improvements and the increased opportunities, he is still the biggest shooting threat on the team, and is at his best spotting up beyond the three-point line. Possessions like the ones previously shown are a welcome bonus for an Ateneo offense that needs as much shot creation as they can in big games down the stretch.

3. The indispensable Ange Kouame and the ascending Kai Ballungay

Ralph: AS BRIEFLY stated by Anton, Kouame and Ballungay will be two of Ateneo’s most instrumental pieces on their continued hunt for redemption. The Blue Eagles’ frontcourt duo encountered their fair share of troubles at the onset of Season 85, but it seems that things have only gotten better and will continue to improve as the second round arrives. 

While none of his early-season issues were performance-based, there were long-term injury concerns when Coach Baldwin detailed how Kouame was still “far from MVP form” days before Season 85 tipped-off. While the Kiwi tactician is almost never mistaken, his prior remark was proven dead wrong, as his Ateneo big man wasted no time in pounding the opposition. Kouame’s first round numbers of 11.4 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game are greatly identical to his production during his MVP year. Beyond leading the league in boards and blocks thus far, Kouame’s impact goes beyond the box score. 

I have already swooned over the Blue Eagle veteran’s wide-ranged defensive skillset in one of our previous Weekly Takeaways, and it did reflect upon the statistical returns of Ateneo’s first seven games. Through one month of action, the Blue Eagles’ defense allowed the least second-chance points and rebounds, and were third-best in preventing opposing points in the paint. While basketball is perpetually acknowledged as a team-based sport, it is hard to imagine the squad being this capable in interior defense without the services of the 24-year-old Kouame. 

While Ballungay was not able to immediately hit the ground running for Ateneo, the former US NCAA Division II product has certainly delivered on expectations. After only tallying 13 points through his first two games, the Fil-Am wing has firmly found his footing in the country’s premiere collegiate league. In the Blue Eagles’ recent win versus Adamson, the rookie forward erupted for a career-best 21 points in a highly-efficient 8/10 shooting. Ballungay will continue to be counted on, with his 62.7% shooting leading the Blue Eagles in field goal percentage and his 12.1 points per game only falling behind Ildefonso and Padrigao’s outputs. With the hotly-contested second round shaping up to be a slugfest, it serves as a perfect time for Ballungay to transform himself into a household name for Filipino basketball fans. 

This week’s games:

Saturday, October 29, 4:00 PM vs Adamson University Soaring Falcons at the Mall of Asia Arena