Humblebola

By: Karl Batungbacal

There is something different about the Ateneo Blue Eagles — and it’s nasty.

In case you missed it, they made their much-anticipated return to the hardwood on Sunday, August 16, as a wildcard team in the Pinoyliga Cup’s “The Big Dance” tournament, where they squared off against the Our Lady of Fatima (OLFU) Phoenix. This was their first public game since withdrawing from the FilOil Tournament earlier this year.

With Letran legend Louie Alas at the helm and a coaching staff led by fellow alums RJ Jazul and Kerby Raymundo, Ateneo brandished a bolder energy and brasher attitude that had been hiding beneath the “cool, calm, collected” style of basketball of former shot-caller Tab Baldwin. Coach Alas brought in his championship experience and is allowing the players to bring out their nasty through physicality and tenacity.

None other than Ateneo’s lead point guards, fourth-season Ian Espinosa and third-season Jared Bahay (how time flies, eh?), were able to quickly adapt to the new style of play, as they and the rest of the team were being urged to play tight, physical defense.

No inbound attempt went unchallenged, no dribble drive was loosely guarded, and only a handful of shots went uncontested. If that’s not a testament to coach Alas’ renewed defensive identity for the Blue Eagles, then we don’t know what is.

Foul trouble was still a thing, but it was more a part of the learning curve than a visible lack of discipline.

The offense was being run with a similar vibe too, with Bahay and Espinosa being entrusted to attack from the perimeter and distribute the ball to newcomers Travis Roberts, Grayson Rogers, and Kieffer Alas.

Under Baldwin, the Blue Eagles played with pace, yes, though there was a heavy reliance on screen actions to kickstart their structured offense. Under Alas, the guards are given more discretion to run sets on the fly, while the bigs and wings were making a concerted effort to crash the offensive boards.

Choosing to hand over the reins of the offense to their primary ball-handlers, rather than sticking to a semi-rigid structure, allowed Ateneo to be more fluid in their offensive sets.

Organized chaos, if you will.

Despite knocking OLFU out of the tournament with a final score of 71-60, more questions are still on deck for the Ateneo Blue Eagles leading up to their first game in UAAP Season 89.

Drew Bongo and Shawn Tuano (who were out due to Gilas 3×3 duties), were not present in the OLFU game, which leaves questions as to how well they will perform under the new system. 

Foreign student-athlete Sultan Baruwa is the only “true” center they have. How ready is backup EJ Kapihe to deal with opposing bigs like Collins Akowe, Luis Pablo, and Mo Konateh in extended minutes — especially in crunch time?

Kieffer Alas’ rookie season will be one of the biggest reasons why people will tune in closely to Ateneo’s games (for better or worse); for all intents and purposes, he appears ready for the challenge. How heavy a load will he have to carry to ensure that the Blue Eagles return to the Final Four?

With most, if not the entirety, of the UAAP landscape closely watching their progress, Ateneo already appears ready for the season. But still, a couple of questions need to be answered before they have their first game in Season 89.