After an eventful 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 continue on their title defense with a chance to win a fifth championship in six seasons.
THE ATENEO Blue Eagles got off to a mixed start to their UAAP Season 86 campaign in their first set of matches. After dropping their season opener against the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 64-77, the Blue and White were able to snag a 77-72 victory over archrivals De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers. However, the Katipunan-based squad would experience another setback, succumbing to the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons in overtime, 71-74.
With the team still in the process of figuring things out, Ateneo now aims for a more successful second week in round one as they look to return to winning ways. The Blue Eagles still have plenty of time to turn things around as they hope to return to their winning form against the University of the East (UE) Red Warriors and the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws this week.
- Twos are as important as threes
Euan: Head Coach Tab Baldwin once mentioned during the preseason that a different offensive approach should be expected for the Blue Eagles for Season 86. According to the 65-year-old, the Katipunan-based squad would become a three-point shooting team with “diversified attacks” in lieu of the key players’ departure who played an integral role on the offensive side of the ball.
This held true for the start of the defending champion’s journey for retention as they shot a respectable 38.5% from deep by the end of the first half to only trail within striking distance against the National University (NU) Bulldogs. The same goes with their recent game against the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons where they sank 62.5% of their three-point attempts to help establish a comfortable lead after the second canto, before crumbling at the latter half of the contest.
The only outlier was their match against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, where they struggled behind the arc all throughout the game. Ateneo’s tenacity in crashing the glass propelled them during the marquee matchup, outhustling the Green and White in the rebounding department, 66-50.
Despite their proficiency from the arc, there has been one common denominator haunting the Blue and White for their first three matches: their inefficiency within the two-point range. The defending champions have currently made 44 out of 113 two-point field goals, netting them an underwhelming 38.94% from mid-range.
Multiple reasons can be pinpointed in hopes of explaining Ateneo’s shooting woes within 22 feet from the rim, the rookies’ lack of experience, an unstable guard rotation, and a thin center lineup to name a few. Nevertheless, one thing is certain: If Ateneo aims to recover from their slump, the squad has to work towards achieving a more efficient shooting clip starting with this week’s slate of games.
- The tale of sharpshooters #13 and #21
Euan: Passionate fans had voiced out their opinions on social media during Ateneo’s rocky start. Each had their own reasoning or explanation as to how the Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team (AMBT) got to this situation and how to relieve the team’s struggles. Out of all the demands from fans online, two players stood out as the athletes that should receive more minutes—lead backup guard Gab Gomez and highly-anticipated rookie Mason Amos.
Gomez has been reliable for the Blue and White since the tournament kicked off. Against NU, the Filipino-Italian dropped 12 points & three assists in only 15 minutes of playing time. The third-year guard also lit the Blue Eagle’s first-quarter fuse against AdU, where he knocked down two consecutive three-pointers at the onset of the match.
Strangely enough, Gomez’s minutes remained meager despite his offensive impact on the floor. The six-footer currently averages less than nine minutes per game, which left fans puzzled by the minute restriction.
Another sharpshooter who fans want to see more of is Amos. The 6’7” rookie had an underwhelming debut, failing to secure a single point against the Bulldogs. However, the Filipino-Australian recruit bounced back in his two succeeding games, tallying 12 points in both La Salle and Adamson games while nabbing five rebounds against the Green Archers and six boards against the Soaring Falcons.
Despite his offensive production and size for securing rebounds, Amos has not started for the Blue Eagles, as he would often get deployed from the bench.
After the squad’s meltdown against Adamson, Coach Baldwin was asked about the rookie forward’s rising performance during the first three games. The seven-year tenured mentor then blasted off about the media’s obsession with points as an indicator of a player’s performance. Baldwin admitted that Amos and the whole team still have more to learn in playing good basketball and that the only points that matter to the reigning champions is the final score.
It is still uncertain whether fans can expect an increase in playing time for both Gomez and Amos. However, as seen numerous times before under Baldwin’s helm, improvements must be made beyond the box score to earn his trust.
Regardless of the results in week one, fans should not put all their eggs into one basket as there are 11 games before the Final Four stage.
- Trusting the process
Luis: When I asked Coach Baldwin about his usual routine after a back-breaking loss such as Saturday’s game, during his post-game presser, he highlighted the fact that the Blue and White are still going through the process of buying into his system. The seasoned tactician shared that the team’s collective culture has yet to be established and noted the lack of cohesive performances as the result of this ongoing struggle.
Baldwin added that the team’s identity has fluctuated on a game-to-game basis, as proven by the wide variation and inconsistencies in the team’s performances thus far. The Blue Eagles will need to mesh together as a team and establish themselves as a squad if they hope to get back on track and continue on in the first round as legitimate contenders.
Despite this process mainly being an intangible one, it is certainly one that has separated the Ateneo dynasties of the past from the rest of the pack. While it is simply too early to judge the young squad, the process of experiencing different types of game situations will only help them gain some much-needed momentum, if they click sooner than later.
With Kai Ballungay, Chris Koon, and Sean Quitevis as the frontrunners in leading Ateneo’s title-retention bid, expect them to continue lifting the squad on and off the court during this process. Even with the veterans’ efforts and the new guns’ ardors, the Ateneo faithful may not be accustomed to an opening week with a win percentage below 50%. However, the Blue and White’s 1-2 start should not be indicative of problems outside of those which are to be expected from a team that has lost multiple key players during the offseason.
As long as the Blue Eagles’ newest recruits eventually find themselves buying into Baldwin’s system, it will only be a matter of time until Ateneo finds themselves on solid footing once again.
This week’s games:
Wednesday, October 11, 1:00 PM, vs. University of the East Red Warriors at the Mall of Asia Arena
Saturday, October 14, 2:00 PM, vs. Far Eastern University Tamaraws at the Mall of Asia Arena
