Team Glory Be. L-R Rob Roa, Chris Newsome, Nico Elorde, Jason “Jumbo” Escueta, Kristian Panganiban. Photo by Abram P. Barrameda

Utter the words “Blue Eagles” and a number of familiar faces immediately spring to mind. Might it be the flaxen-haired captain Kirk Long, or Greg Slaughter, the tallest player in the league? Or perhaps it’s Kiefer Ravena, whose face is plastered on the news on a weekly basis?

We are all too familiar with Ateneo’s UAAP four-peat champions who understandably receive the most recognition around campus, and while they deserve the accolade, Team Glory Be doesn’t fall far behind. A squad brimming with talent, the boys in blue fight to prove their worth on the court and are well on their way to stealing a spotlight of their own. Hard work, perseverance and passion are their tickets to the big leagues and this is what proves to be their driving force.

Though only a few may experience action in the UAAP, who’s to say that these players aren’t as talented and driven as their Team A counterparts?

A-Game: What’s the difference?

Emmanuel Fernandez, Secretary-Treasurer of the University Athletics Association of the Philippines, puts things in perspective: “Technically, there is no ‘Team B’,” he says. Ateneo’s University Athletics Office considers all of the players as a pool of skill and talent, from which 16 are selected to play in the UAAP.  Those who aren’t selected, or have yet to be eligible in the UAAP, play in the Fr. Martin’s Collegiate Cup—a less-commercialized but nonetheless prestigious league that takes place in the first semester of the year, where eight teams from the NCAA and the UAAP compete.

From the same pool, players are selected, again, to form a team that plays in the National University Games, and the rest (often the same ones who play in the UAAP tournament) participate in the Philippine Collegiate Championship League. “In January, the entire pool practices together to start the selection for the summer leagues and then the UAAP,” Fernandez explains.

Because the UAAP tournament receives the most exposure on television and in publications, naturally, it’s considered to be the most popular—and the same goes for its players.

Who’s who: Team Glory Be

Before Nonoy Baclao became one of the league’s defensive stars, and PBA’s #1 Draft Pick, eventually moving on to play for Air21, he had paid his dues in Team Glory Be. Speedy guard Emman Monfort had also sat out a UAAP season to play in Team B. Following their lead, there have been more ‘promotions’ in recent years—Oping Sumalinog, Frank Golla, and Bon Jovi Cipriano were all recruited by Ateneo and served time in the non-UAAP team.

The talent and potential that lies in Team Glory Be’s pool rivals those of other UAAP schools’ Team A squads. Ateneo Blue Eaglets aspiring to play for the UAAP are regular mainstays in Team Glory Be, but the team is also composed of a number of others.

Foreign transferees like Chris Newsome, for instance, must serve a two-year residence period before taking their spots on the UAAP roster. This was also the process that Jason “Jumbo” Escueta went through upon entering Ateneo. Transferees that have played in other schools—like former DSLU sophomore Nico Elorde, Cebuano Mikey Cabahug, star center Greg Slaughter and back-up JP Erram in previous years—are required to serve just one year.

Included in Team Glory Be are also highly recruited high school stars given academic assistance before they are thrust into the bigger stage. While serving their residencies or simply waiting for a turn in the UAAP, Team Glory Be provides them with a healthy dose of competition.

Band of brothers: The men who can’t be moved

Chances of getting ‘promoted’ to Team A may be slim to none, but decisions are based on a handful of factors. “Skill, strength to be able to compete in a high level, proper attitude, knowing Coach Norman’s system and being able to run it by heart,” are only a few enumerated by Yuri Escueta, Team B’s current head coach.

Having played under Norman Black’s system for five years as a UAAP player himself, Escueta is able to point out the differences in the UAAP team and Team Glory Be’s systems. Black requires his players to accept roles, and while it’s a system that has produced four consecutive championships, it isn’t always easy for basketball players to do so.

‘Promotions’ are also largely dependent on how many players are graduating from Team A, how many top recruits from high school are coming in, and how many of the Team A players are forced to sit out the season for their academics.

The UAAP’s energizer bunny Tonino Gonzaga, who was also a member of Team B, agrees, explaining that skill and confidence are further developed in the training pool. “As a player, you’re definitely more free to do your thing,” he says, “Whereas in Team A you’re part of a system.”

Still, players try out for Team B, without the slightest bit of assurance that they will play on what many perceive to be the grander stage: The UAAP. “It could be for the love of the game, and prestige of playing under the Ateneo system,” Gonzaga muses. “Once in a while a crazy guy thinks he can make it to Team A.” Of course, just a few years ago, Gonzaga was that crazy guy.

Players to watch out for

Coach Yuri names DLSU transferee Nico Elorde, LSGH’s Joma Adornado, Xavier University’s Paul Siarot, and Cebu’s Mikey Cabahug to have the best chances of securing a slot in UAAP Season 75’s line-up. In the past two years, there have been one to three openings for Team A. Next season will see the graduation of three: co-captains Kirk Long and Bacon Austria, and Emman Monfort, and the much-awaited return of Season 71’s Rookie of the Year Ryan Buenafe. This translates to possibly two opportunities for Team Glory Be players to crack the UAAP.

“Joining Team B will always give you a chance to fight for a slot,” says Escueta. “It also depends on how much you want it, and how hard you work for it.”