Humblebola

By Dr. Eriko dela Cruz

Welcome to The Rewind, where the Humblebola team looks back at the past and talks about details only a few may have noticed.

There’s a lot of talk surrounding the sudden slump of the Ateneo Blue Eagles following a stellar 4-0 start to the season. But this fanbase has seen this team down a similar hole and emerge victorious before.

Let’s rewind and go back to when the Ateneo Blue Eagles mustered up one big fight to turn adversity into glory.

The year was 2002, and there were great expectations surrounding the Ateneo Blue Eagles coming into UAAP Season 65.

Ateneo just made the Finals the season prior, the first time since 1988, against the DLSU Green Archers. It was a tight 3-game classic, with the Blue Eagles playing underdog against the 4-peat seeking La Salle. LA Tenorio showed everyone why he was a highly-sought after recruit coming out of the San Beda Red Cubs program, scoring 30 points in game three, as a rookie. The Blue Eagles lost the Finals series, but the potential for a championship was there. Many felt, they were on the cusp of dethroning their arch-rival if they could only just run it back.

In the offseason leading to UAAP season 65, Ateneo hired Joel Banal as the new head coach of Ateneo. Wesley Gonzales made his way back to the team, and the Blue Eagles won the PBL (the premiere semi-pro league at the time, for the benefit of our Gen Z audience) under Ateneo-Hapee-NeNaCo. 

Ateneo opened their season with a 3-0 record, defeating the NU Bulldogs, another contender in the UST Growling Tigers, and the resurging FEU Tamaraws. What followed was a brutal six game stretch that saw the Blue Eagles win just one game. A suspension was handed out to reigning 2-time MVP Rich Alvarez after an alleged closed-fist punch against Adamson’s Jojo Hate. His absence was felt heavily in their rivalry game against the DLSU Green Archers. The Blue Eagles also suffered two consecutive overtime defeats to begin the second round. To make matters worse LA Tenorio suffered a hand injury in practice. The Blue Eagles held a 4-5 record at that point.

The Blue Eagles looked lost. However, if there was one thing that the Ateneo Blue Eagles had, it was heart.

Backup point guard (now Ateneo Blue Eagles manager) Epok Quimpo stepped up in the absence of Tenorio. Finding their second wind, Ateneo swept the remaining games of the elimination, even preventing a 14-0 sweep of the DLSU Green Archers at the end of the second round. They finished the elimination round with a 9-5 record, good for third in the standings. UE beat UST in their last game, giving them a twice-to beat advantage in the Final Four. The odds were stacked against Ateneo, but the good thing? LA Tenorio was set to return in the postseason.

Ateneo limited MVP candidate James Yap to four points in the first semi-finals game to force a do-or-die. Gec Chia scored a game winner to send Ateneo to the Finals. Larry Fonacier blocked Mac Cardona twice to seal game one of the Finals. Enrico Villanueva was awarded his MVP in game two. And in game three Epok Quimpo hit the dagger from three to give Ateneo the championship for the first time in 14 years.

And all that started with One Big Fight.