With this year’s University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Basketball Tournament in full force, this weekly series will track the performance of the Ateneo Blue Eagles on their journey back to the upper echelons of the UAAP.

ATENEO COULD not have asked for a more dreadful opening to their UAAP Season 87 campaign, dropping their first three games of the tournament in their worst start in 11 years.

Beginning their woeful three-game opening stretch, the Blue Eagles faltered in their opening game against Katipunan neighbors University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 61-77. Ateneo then allowed an 18-4 fourth quarter run to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers en route to a 64-74 loss before succumbing to archrivals De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers, 61-74.

Another devastating blow is the temporary loss of Team Co-captain Chris Koon due to an injury he suffered in the second quarter of the Battle of Katipunan showdown. The absence of a key presence on the court further contributed to Ateneo’s series of misfortunes and misery.

With a lot of time left in the young season, the Blue Eagles seek to put the losses behind them and aim to finally put themselves into the win column against the Adamson University Soaring Falcons tomorrow.

Looming storm

Rav: Although Ateneo’s start so far has been mired in disappointment, the Blue and White have shown glimpses of their former contender status in their first-half performances. In all three games against UP, UST, and DLSU, the Blue Eagles have either trailed by a manageable deficit or even found themselves ahead early on. However, a common throughline seen in all those matchups is the squad’s sloppy and uninspired play down the stretch—a far cry from their reputation as a second-half team in previous seasons.

While it might be tempting to chalk up this flaw to mere shooting outliers, the recurrence with which it occurs proves that it is not a coincidence. Outside of their matchup against UP, the Blue Eagles led in field goal and free throw percentages in the first half against both UST and DLSU, demonstrating their potential to drain shots efficiently. Yet, whenever the third quarter arrives, the script flips—with opposing teams being far more efficient than the still-developing Blue Eagles.

Even if one ignores the nosedive in shooting percentages in the later quarters, another dilemma for the Blue Eagles comes in their struggle to tally boards and second-chance points. Striking examples of these deficiencies occurred in Ateneo’s match versus La Salle, where Ateneo accumulated only 38 rebounds to DLSU’s 62. Additionally, the Blue Eagles were outmatched in second-chance points, with La Salle scoring 17 to Ateneo’s mere seven.

Admittedly only indirectly tied, Ateneo’s issues with rebounding and second-chance conversions are partly responsible for their late-game woes. Without a reliable safety net of a crucial board to save a missed attempt, the team’s aggression or scoring opportunities may significantly plummet—which is dire—especially amid these high-pressure late-game scenarios. 

It is as if this season’s Ateneo is a Mach 10 jet aircraft that runs out of gas midway through every flight, thereby crashing in the woods consistently in a spectacular flare—or maybe not.

Nonetheless, one cannot deny that the Blue and White still shows upside in their first-half performances. If Ateneo resolves their late-game issues, what more can be said against the Katipunan-based contingent?

As Head Coach Tab Baldwin said in his interview with ALL-STAR Magazine, “You have to be patient with the process. You invest too much time into something you know will pay dividends. You just don’t know when it will pay dividends.”

When Ateneo, for instance, eventually addresses their shooting woes, the league must brace themselves for an incoming storm in white and blue.

Struggling to score

Ravi: After years of excellence on the offensive end, the Baldwin-led Blue Eagles find themselves in uncharted territory—facing the inability to consistently put up points on the scoreboard. At the forefront of their offensive woes is their horrid three-point shooting to start the season: 18.2% against UP, 17.24% against UST, and 14.8% against DLSU.

For a team already plagued with height deficiencies, outside shooting is critical in opening up the paint for two-point conversions. Instead, Ateneo’s abysmal shooting percentages have severely limited their offensive production and spacing, leaving them vulnerable to stagnant stretches in offense and long minutes of scoring droughts in the second half.

Ateneo’s shooting nightmares go even deeper, as their inability to make free throws has become another stumbling block in their quest for victory. The team went 19/40 from the charity stripe against UP, which Baldwin disappointedly commented on. “It was horrendous. If you get to the line 40 times, you should probably win the game,” claimed the four-time UAAP championship tactician.

Although Shawn Tuano and Josh Lazaro have primarily steered Ateneo’s offense, the team will need to find other scoring options, as opposing defenses have easily countered by collapsing on both Atenean stalwarts come halftime.

The question is, who else from the Blue Eagles can contribute on the offensive end? For one, Sean Quitevis and Ian Espinosa knocking down more baskets would stop their defenders from sagging off of them and thinning the Blue Eagles’ spacing. Preseason standout Andrew Bongo and prized rookie Jared Bahay were also anticipated to be viable options, but they have so far been inefficient due to stifling defensive schemes. Perhaps, more plays can be run through shooters Waki Espina and Koon, once he returns, to help Ateneo space the floor.

While these are possible improvements the team could make, Ateneo will need to find more go-to-guys on the offense quickly, especially as they will soon face an Adamson squad that displayed defensive masterclasses against FEU and UST.

Game of zones

Ino: One silver lining in an otherwise tumultuous start has been the Blue and White’s defense—a consistent sign of the Blue Eagle Band of Brothers’ grit in these trying times. Becoming a defensive-oriented team seems peculiar considering Ateneo’s past reputation as an offensive juggernaut, but their defense has shown constant flashes of potential and kept the Loyola Heights-based squad afloat throughout multiple stretches.

With a perceived shortage of size at the current frontcourt rotation and a lack of a proven rim protector, the zone defense became the Blue and White’s newest trump card to keep opposing offenses honest.

In the new scheme’s debut, glimpses of suffocating pressure were seen in the Blue Eagles’ opener against UP. Despite the loss, the myriad of zones from the Blue and White gave their crosstown rivals many fits, forcing them to 17 turnovers compared to Ateneo’s mere 10.

Even with the benefits that zone defenses provide, they also do have their fair share of weaknesses, with archrivals DLSU showing the Blue Eagles how they can be exploited. The Green Archers’ passing and quality floor spacing forced Ateneo into multiple defensive breakdowns, showing that the Blue and White’s zone still has a long way to go before it can consistently smother its opponents.

Providing deeper insights into the tactical shift, Baldwin cited that Ateneo’s defense still has a long way to go despite looking promising. “There were certainly several aspects that left a lot to be desired. I thought our defense wasn’t executing what we asked them to do,” he said.

Despite this observation, the Kiwi-American tactician credited his young squad’s consistent effort and physicality, expressing that he was proud of the effort and physicality the Blue Eagles showed.

Nevertheless, the early setbacks neither invalidate Ateneo’s willingness to experiment nor diminish the encouraging stretches of defensive brilliance fans have seen so far. What matters at this point is continued tinkering and perfecting of the scheme; and when it all comes together, we may see the stingiest Ateneo defense yet.

Next matchups:

Saturday, September 21, 6:30 PM, vs. Adamson University Soaring Falcons at the Smart Araneta Coliseum

Sunday, September 29, 6:30 PM, vs. Far Eastern University Tamaraws at the Smart Araneta Coliseum