Humblebola

This past weekend of UAAP action — or rather, this past Saturday of UAAP action (since Sunday was Nov. 1). Action-packed cannot even begin to describe it.

In the opening matchup, the NU Bulldogs and UST Growling Tigers clashed again, with the latter aiming to exact their revenge after losing in their first-round overtime matchup thanks to Reinhard Jumamoy’s three-point bank shot. The rematch turned into a slugfest, but the “Power of Friendship” Bulldogs ultimately eked out a 75-71 victory, off the 16-point performance of Mo Diassana. I’m very surprised that he’s outplayed Collins Akowe mightily throughout this season.

Now, the main event. Ateneo versus La Salle. The rivalry that never dies.

Befitting their on-court status, both sides were trading haymakers throughout all four quarters, and barely any side was giving an inch. A battle of “who blinks first” and “who dares wins” (coincidentally, the motto of the British Special Air Service or SAS, a little fun fact there) would decide this matchup.

And sadly for the Blue Eagles, they blinked first and couldn’t capitalize on the opportunities that they had. Joaquin Tovera played like a monster, but that gnarly injury he suffered late in overtime puts a question mark on him moving forward. Jacob Cortez is set to return soon, so there’s a bit of a sigh of relief for the Green Archers. Wishing the rookie the best in his recovery. He’s gonna be a terror in the next seasons.

However, either side cannot afford to be hung up on the result. The Final Four race remains wide open. Next game up should be the mentality.

It was a great game, but what I really wanted to spotlight was the blue and green crowd. 

My first exposure to the UAAP was back in 2008. I had an early celebration of my 12th birthday at home on September 21, and it just so happened that my dad, whom I owe my love of basketball to, turned the channel to Game 1 of the Finals. Funnily enough, it was Ateneo versus La Salle then, too, for the Season 71 crown. In front of a crowd of around 23,000.

At the time, I was starting out on my own journey towards understanding basketball and the intricacies that come with it. What stood out to me then on our JVC CRT TV was the drums and the endless cheering from both sides of the Araneta Coliseum. The curious 12-year-old asked what the heck they were cheering about. My dad explained the ins and outs of the UAAP, the reason behind the booming drums, the boos thrown at each side, and the occasional middle finger from a grumpy tito that the TV crew caught a glimpse of.

I was hooked immediately, and I found myself rooting for Ateneo by the 2nd quarter. I don’t exactly remember why, but I do remember Eric Salamat, Jai Reyes, Bacon Austria, and Ryan Buenafe being the main reasons why, plus that dude wearing 17. Lahat tumitili kada pakita sa screen eh. As I grew older, I understood why. Pogi nga naman talaga.

Ateneo eventually won the title in the next game, and by 2010, I was in Ateneo High School. I started watching the games more in person with my friends and my family, growing even more enamored with the magic of the UAAP. Losing my voice from cheering too hard was a common occurrence.

In college, the passion was even more pronounced as I had the pleasure of cheering on my batchmates Thirdy Ravena, Aaron Black, and Isaac Go in their pursuit of UAAP glory. Believe me, I used most of the allowable cuts we had to watch the midweek games at Araneta. My feet hurt all day because I was on my feet cheering alongside the Blue Babble Battalion member assigned to our section (if there was one) somewhere in the upper box sections. At that point in my life, few things were as important as bleeding blue.

Fast forward to the current UAAP landscape, the school pride that many of us grew up with and lived through as young adults seems to have been diminished. 

Why mention the Season 71 Finals? Because with how closely contested the latest Ateneo-DLSU matchup was, I was hoping to see both crowds start rocking the Araneta Coliseum as if it WAS a Finals matchup. It’s the most legendary rivalry in college sports, insane Final Four implications on the line, yet most were glued to their seats or worse — too busy checking their phones during breaks in the action. Imbes na walang tigil na sagutan ng cheers, it was limited to who currently had the upper hand.

That’s exactly the magic of the UAAP. You can be as passionate and as loud as you want, and no one will look at you funny. I do miss the days when I couldn’t hear anything but the crowd being fully immersed in the game, cheering their hearts out as if they were the ones on the floor.

I wish the grade schoolers in the crowd could look around and have that sense of wonder that I did then. I wish the college and high school kids would start wilding out again and do fun things at the games. (The craziest thing we did in high school was write out “Go Ateneo!” on our stomachs, and we lifted our shirts throughout the game. It was prime “boys’ school” energy. Still got the photo saved too.)

Heck, even adults should go back to painting their faces with their school colors again every once in a while. Dress up as your school mascot. In this economy? Do something to be immersed in the game that you used your hard-earned money for. It’s just one day out of how many in a stress-filled year.

In a time when being nonchalant is the norm, go against the wave. Be the reason why someone at the venue would want to watch a game live again.

It’s completely cool to care about which school you represent. Let’s learn to live in the moment again. 

Catch you at this Saturday’s games?

The Wild Card, 

Karl