WITH GREAT resolve, Paolo Medina and the Ateneo Blue Eagles conclude the last day of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) NBA 2K Tournament in a resounding triumph.
In a statement performance, the Team Captain swept his semi-finals series versus Daemiel Argame of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Teletigers Esports Club. Medina then conquered Kegan Yap of the De La Salle University (DLSU) Viridis Arcus Esports in a thrilling three-game finals duel to become the first-ever UAAP NBA 2K champion.
The tournament’s final phase took place yesterday at the Areté’s Doreen Fernandez Black Box in Quezon City.
Semifinals Game 1 – Ateneo: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. UST: Boston Celtics
Returning to action after missing day two of the competition, Medina kicked off Ateneo’s semi-final series against Group B’s undefeated one seed, Argame from UST. Medina decided to use the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team that gave him two victories in the eliminations, while the Teletiger opted for the widely utilized Celtics.
Both teams traded blows as they banked on parallel offenses based on pick and roll sets, arriving at an 18-all deadlock to cap the first. In the next two periods, Ateneo upped the ante as Medina’s patient playmaking allowed him to find defensive gaps and ravage UST with multiple Isaiah Joe and Luguentz Dort triples. With his steady yet constant offense, Medina built a comfortable 72-58 cushion to enter the fourth quarter.
As Medina opted to use a full court press, Argame found success running the ball past midcourt and creating open looks for his two superstars. Despite the Teletiger’s offensive efforts to cut the lead, his defense failed to stop Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s aggressive finishes. Medina held off Argame’s late rally to draw first blood in the series in huge thanks to a whopping 60 points scored in the paint, 96-92.
Semifinals Game 2 – Ateneo: Boston Celtics vs. UST: Los Angeles Lakers (Group A)
Only needing one more win for a finals berth, Medina listed the services of the 2024 NBA champions against Argame’s choice of their archrival Lakers. Medina commanded the opening sequence of the outing, taking advantage of Boston’s versatility by implementing a five-out offense. This decision paved the way for Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis to feast on the Laker defense and allowed Ateneo to quickly build an assertive 28-15 lead to end the first.
Adding to his team’s scoring outburst, Medina caught fire with Jrue Holiday’s fantastic 19-point first half. Further hindering UST’s offense, the combined defensive efforts from Derrick White and Porzingis saw Ateneo’s lead balloon to 19 with three minutes remaining in the second quarter, 43-24. Despite Argame trimming the lead with multiple pick and roll sequences from the LeBron James-Anthony Davis duo, Ateneo still ended the half with a comfortable 50-35 advantage.
Medina carried over his stellar execution into the latter half of the contest, running the floor with his Tatum and Brown wing duo to take his largest lead at the end of the third, 78-53. The team captain kept this momentum throughout the final frame as the Blue Eagle lead proved to be insurmountable for Argame, giving Medina a 119-91 victory and a spot in the finals against DLSU.
Finals Game 1 – Ateneo: San Antonio Spurs vs DLSU: Chicago Bulls
The championship series of the tournament that featured a classic Ateneo-La Salle showdown followed a new set of rules in regards to the picking of teams. The UAAP divided teams into three tiers based on their NBA 2K ratings, with the players having to pick their squads from the respective tier list assigned per game.
Playing with the Spurs for the first time, Medina relied on Victor Wembanyama’s height and length advantage versus the Bulls to create havoc on both sides of the floor. While San Antonio had an obvious upperhand in the paint, the opening quarter saw a back and forth exchange in the perimeter, as Alex Caruso and Julian Champagnie traded three-pointers. The tightly-contested period ended with a 23-21 margin in favor of the home crowd bet.
Commencing the second canto, DLSU’s Yap went on an 8-0 run after Medina gave up multiple open lane drives to the quicker and more athletic Bulls roster. La Salle’s consistent two-point conversions hurt Ateneo, placing Medina in a 30-42 deficit in the frame.
In a bid to retaliate in the second half, Medina switched his defensive gameplan, clogging the paint by particularly leaving center Nikola Vucevic wide open from three. The change proved to be effective for Ateneo as Medina was able to disrupt the Bulls’ cohesive offense and force missed shots from long-range. Behind the hot three-point shooting of Champagnie and Devin Vassell, Ateneo scored 15 consecutive points, storming back into the game to finally take a 61-58 advantage at the end of the third.
Capitalizing on Wembanyama’s dominant presence, Medina ran drop pass plays to sustain a relative lead in the final frame. With one minute and thirty seconds remaining, Yap threatened to regain momentum as he cut the deficit to 68-72. However, the Atenean returned to the plays that worked for him throughout the game, scoring clutch buckets with Wembanyama and Vassell to complete the comeback and steal Game 1 of the finals from DLSU, 77-75.
Finals Game 2 – Ateneo: Sacramento Kings vs DLSU: Los Angeles Clippers
The Blue Eagle entered the second game of the contest with his Tier 2 choice of the up-and-coming Sacramento Kings to counter Yap’s star-studded Los Angeles Clippers. Both players opened up the game relying on their star-caliber guards with Medina banking his offense on De’Aaron Fox and Yap relying on James Harden. The Katipunan-based stalwart controlled the early stages of the first, taking a 16-9 lead after a bully-ball play by Domantas Sabonis. Medina’s surging start eventually faded as he struggled to contain drives from Harden, who led a Clipper offense that outscored the Kings 18-11 in the closing minutes of the first for a 27-all tie.
Both squads started to throw haymakers, not letting either take more than a three-point lead throughout the second frame. In contrast to his initial strategy, Medina used role players like Kevin Huerter and Keegan Murray to handle the offensive load. Meanwhile, Yap continued to take advantage of Harden’s excellent driving rating, capping the half with a breakaway layup that put Ateneo in a 47-48 deficit.
Medina, realizing that he needed a switch for the second half, went back to the heroic efforts of Kings duo Fox and Sabonis. After yet another tightly contested quarter, the Blue Eagle took a 67-66 lead via a Fox long-distance bucket with a minute left in the canto. Despite this, Ateneo could not respond to last-second attacks from Harden and Kawhi Leonard, as Medina headed into the final quarter facing a five-point disadvantage, 67-72.
While the first few minutes of the fourth was just as close as the previous frames, Medina’s stamina-depleted Kings couldn’t keep up with the depth of Yap’s Clippers. The Atenean surrendered a sequence of threes to Daniel Theis and allowed another Harden breakaway, burying him in a 78-85 hole with 2:46 left. This outpour proved to be too much to handle for the team captain as Ateneo went down, 89-93, setting up a deciding game for the championship.
Finals Game 3 – Ateneo: Oklahoma City Thunder vs DLSU: Los Angeles Lakers
In do-or-die fashion, the rival schools left it all on the line for the inaugural UAAP NBA 2K Championship. The first quarter started competitively as both teams returned to their bread and butter plays from the elimination round, paralleling each other with two-man pick and roll sets. However, it was Ateneo’s Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren connection that prevailed, as OKC’s All-Star guard helped command the offense to a 25-15 lead.
Riding off the crowd’s energy, Medina continued to rack up points in the next two quarters. Maximizing the Thunder’s plethora of offensive weapons, the Atenean showcased high basketball IQ, dishing out assists that led to open three-point shots from Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams. Medina also banked on his team’s defensive versatility, utilizing Holmgren’s length to contain drives from James and Davis. The Blue Eagle’s combined quick ball movement and defensive rotations allowed him to build a massive 64-46 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
Refusing to concede the championship, Yap switched his gameplan to taking more outside shots, putting together a remarkable 12-2 run to climb back within striking distance, 58-66. Undeterred by his Taft-based counterpart’s momentum, Medina relied on Gilgeous-Alexander’s scoring prowess to stay in the driver’s seat. Medina then nailed a dagger three-pointer courtesy of the Canadian superstar with 45 seconds left, putting away Yap to win the title for Ateneo, 73-64.
With the victory, Medina became the first-ever UAAP NBA 2K champion, thanking the Ateneo community as they created a game-changing home crowd advantage to his favor. “I feel like I left a mark that’s forever gonna be there. I’m grateful that God-willing, I was able to come out as the first ever 2K champion,” Medina added.
More of Ateneo’s Esports teams will look to replicate Medina’s victory as the Blue Eagles Valorant Team kicks off its semi-finals campaign later today. Meanwhile, Ateneo’s Mobile Legends Esports Team will make their highly anticipated debut tomorrow.