By Eriko dela Cruz

Moments before taking the floor for game three, a voice rang through the South Gate hallway:

“We have a chance to make our own story today.”

After losing the UAAP season 84 title in a heartbreaking fashion, the Ateneo Blue Eagles suddenly encountered its very first crossroads; a huge chunk of the people who made the program very successful decided to move on. SJ Belangel, Tyler Tio, Raffy Verano, Gian Mamuyac, and Jolo Mendoza all decided to forgo their remaining years to search for greener pastures (and rightfully so).

BJ Andrade, who initially decided to call it a career as a Blue Eagle, reneged and played his final year as captain. A giant hurdle however, faced his captainship.

For the first time since Season 81, the Ateneo Blue Eagles were no longer the favorites to win the championship. Some of their opponents did not even respect them enough to include them in their Final Four predictions. In the eyes of the people, this was probably the weakest Blue Eagle team in quite a while.

Other people were starting to make stories.

Ateneo did not get to participate in local pre-season leagues, due to prior commitments. One of those commitments was the World University Basketball Series in Japan. People had their questions on the motive of joining the league. “Why are they joining a league overseas and not in the Philippines? They have to prepare the Fil-Ams for the Pinoy game!” This is a rather fair take, since local basketball is a tad more physical than overseas. Still, it seems like the narrative was not controlled by the Blue Eagles.

As the first round progressed, Ateneo was showing glimpses of being a good team. However, there was still a question mark hanging around as they lost to La Salle and UP. A semifinal stint was in the cards, but is that the farthest they could go? Mamarus and analysts alike had their takes. Ateneo is good but might come up short. The Blue Eagles are very top heavy; they have an immensely talented starting unit but the bench isn’t as productive. Even with the Ateneo faithful themselves, there was some doubt creeping in. The only ones who truly believed they could make it were the ones taking the court everyday.

The start of the second round saw Ateneo lose another game, this time to the up-and-coming NU Bulldogs. The doubts that people had with this team suddenly heightened. People were already pressing the panic button.

And then the Blue Eagles won against La Salle. And then they won more. And more. They even won a highly physical and emotional game against UP in the second round. At the end of the second round, Ateneo was on a six game win streak and in first place. Even then, people believed that the UP Fighting Maroons were still heavily favored to repeat. After all, Ateneo has finished many elimination rounds at number one and failed to get the title. To get to the finals, they had to beat an Adamson team who captured the minds and hearts of the UAAP faithful. Safe to say that it was Ateneo against the world in the Final Four.

Too bad for Jerom Lastimosa and the Soaring Falcons, Ateneo were looking at their own destiny. Buoyed by torrid shooting in the third quarter, they finished the Final Four in one game, setting up a date with the defending champions.

At the post-game press conference, Coach Tab Baldwin came up with two quotes that rocked social media. The first one was when he called his team the underdogs coming into the finals. As much as UP fans did not want to admit it, there was truth to what the man said. As much as Ateneo has made 15 finals appearances in the past 25 years, the present was what mattered. In season 85, UP was the machine. They were the top dogs of the UAAP. They had the deepest team in the league, with third stringers even possible starters in other universities. In short, the Fighting Maroons were in Ateneo’s position years ago. 

The second was this. “I want the Ateneo faithful behind this team because this team has already surpassed a lot of the expectations of them, and even to be fair, of the coaching staff. But the good thing is they haven’t surpassed their own. And that’s a credit to them.”

This was very telling. For Coach Tab and the coaching staff, they were not expecting the team to be back in the finals but took on the challenge to get these young men to where they wanted to go. Now, the revenge tour begins. Time to get back what they lost in May.

In game one, The Blue Eagles kept in step with the Fighting Maroons. The major problem for them was their shooting, as it was very difficult for them to buy a basket. Call it finals jitters, or maybe reaching their ceiling too soon, it was a difficult day for Ateneo. Zavier Lucero, a guy who they limited to a 0/11 outing in the second round, became a problem on both ends of the floor. He was making his shots, crashing the boards, even getting two blocks on Chris Koon and Ange Kouame. Kai Ballungay did not have a lot of opportunities, and in the end Ateneo buckled 72-66.

Just like last season, Ateneo had their backs against the wall. Fortunately, the Blue Eagles from the not-so-distant past gave the current team a visit to get their heads back in the game, as well as remind them what BEBOB really meant.. Having the best coach when it comes to game adjustments can also pay a lot of dividends.

In game two, the Blue Eagles looked more like brothers on the floor. They were playing a little more loosely. No excessive celebrations. One can see the determination in their eyes. When things got chippy, they had each other’s backs and simply got going. Every play they executed said We will see you guys on Monday. They looked like the elite team that they were before Coronavirus. The crowd, who has been generally stoic all season, matched the rabid UP fans.

Kai Ballungay mentioned in his post-game interview that seeing the brotherhood that the BEBOB has forged through the years inspired him to play better.

“I really took that to heart and wanted to show that type of brotherhood, something we can look up to, with what they’ve built from years past. Game 1 didn’t go the way I wanted it, the way this team wanted it, but coming in tonight, I just wanted to get back in whatever way I could.”

According to statistics savant and friend of site Ryan Alba, prior to Season 85, the team that won game one had an 81.5% chance to win the title. According to UAAP’s statistics king Pong Ducanes, Ateneo has never won a title after losing game one. Safe to say, history and statistics were not on Ateneo’s side. But to quote Team Captain and King Eagle BJ Andrade, hindi pa ‘to tapos. Statistics be damned. Ateneo went go for glory.

As the Blue Eagles equalized, the doubts were slowly being eased. There was a sense of anticipation in the air. There was an energy of “Wow we can actually win this thing.” Did Lucero’s injury have anything to do with it? Partly, yes. Zav was a very crucial part in Coach Gold’s rotation, and missing him for the final game would mean a lot of changes to the preparation. More of the feeling of a victory being possible comes from the confidence being exuded by the team. Now, people are rallying behind the story the Ateneo Blue Eagles were writing.

In game three, Coach Tab and the team knew the UP Fighting Maroons like the back of their hands. They started like a house on fire and never looked back. If Geo Chiu can hit a step-in three-pointer on your team, best believe that the Ateneo Blue Eagles knew they were hot. For every run that UP made, Ateneo had a counter-run that closed the door. Even if the Fighting Maroons were clawing their way back into the game, Ateneo had great defensive stops that stopped the bleeding.

Credit to coach Gold for having the presence of mind to field Lucero in and shoot the technical free throw. It was a great way to get his flowers from the UP and Ateneo crowd, and a fitting way to send him off to wherever he goes next.

As the final buzzer sounded, the revenge season was complete. No one expected them to be there but themselves, yet there they were. Like a few months ago tears flowed, but these tears are not of joy. For Jacob Lao, BJ Andrade, Dave Ildefonso, and Ange Kouame, it was a perfect end to their UAAP careers. One set of seniors had to take home silver, and it wasn’t them. 

The pandemic has changed the dynamic of how camaraderie is formed in these Blue Eagles. Before the ‘Rona, the Blue Eagles would go to Baler, Aurora for what coach Tab calls a “bootcamp”. This is the time when the Blue Eagles go through tribulations that if one asks the players, would be more than the season itself. It was from this bootcamp that the Blue Eagle Band of Brothers (BEBOB) was formed.

BEBOB is not just a term. It’s not just a moniker by the team. It is a name forged through difficulties, and as a result, they have reached the mountaintop of the UAAP several times. Before the season ended, this current iteration of Blue Eagles learned what BEBOB really meant, and they now have something to show for it.

The Ateneo Blue Eagles wrote their own story, and could not have written a better ending for themselves.

They got adrenaline in their soul, molded by the Atenean dreams of those that came before them. From getting counted out, to being the Elite. From undesirable to un-goddamn-deniable. They are the Ateneo Blue Eagle Band of Brothers, Champions of UAAP Season 85.

But the job does not end there. Next season, Batang Gilas wunderkind Mason Amos and (potentially) human highlight reel Francis Lopez join the fold. More recruits are expected to make their debuts. After a few months being underdogs, the Atenean Nightmare that plagued the league will be back.

For this season at least, we bid you adieu. Goodbye, *blows a kiss*, AND GOOD NIGHT, BANG.

“I do not want you to look down. I want you to be proud!”

In that moment, it was difficult as an athlete to be proud of what had just transpired.

After an inspiring run, the UP Fighting Maroons ended their season by suffering an 81-99 loss against the Ateneo Blue Eagles. Inspirational as it was, from an athlete’s perspective right after the final buzzer, the feeling wasn’t pleasant. If there’s a saying that a win is a win, well, a loss is a loss.

The UP Fighting Maroons lost and it showed in their faces.

For a team coming from a school named UP, the Fighting Maroons couldn’t help but look down. Packed together in a huddle, their head coach, Bo Perasol, had to tell them to put their heads up. He wanted them to be proud.

“We were in the Finals! NO ONE EXPECTED US TO BE HERE!”

Considering everything they had gone through to get to that moment, the Fighting Maroons had every reason to be proud of themselves. No one expected them to even make it to the Finals. Teams like the Adamson Soaring Falcons and even the FEU Tamaraws were expected to be the final challengers of the Ateneo Blue Eagles.

Instead, it was them. These cellar dwellers turned inspiration who electrified an entire league with their heart.

“You achieved so much! You sacrificed so much!”

The road to the Finals wasn’t easy for the Fighting Maroons. Getting to the Finals wasn’t even part of their plans in the first place. Making it to the Final Four after a long drought was already an achievement in itself. Yet somehow, they were able to exceed expectations by doing the unthinkable.

It would be criminal to just limit the Fighting Maroons’ run to heart, of course, they played actual good basketball to make it to that stage. At the core of their excellence was their one-two punch of Juan Gomez de Liano and MVP Bright Akhuetie. Juan’s pick-and-roll mastery and elite scoring ability were maximized to the brim by UP’s offense, while Bright’s two-way brilliance earned him the league’s most prestigious regular season honor.  Those two superstars were supported by a bevy of role players such as Javi Gomez de Liano, Diego Dario, Janjan Jaboneta, Jarrell Lim, and Gelo Vito. Make no mistake about it, they had decent pieces. They just needed heart to allow their skill on the court to push itself to the limit so they could make the leap from Final Four team to an actual Finals participant.

They sacrificed time with their families so they could practice as a team during that season. They sacrificed settling and celebrating too early in the hopes of making the Finals.

They did sacrifice so much. They also did achieve so much, especially when compared to their preseason expectations. That’s why the UP crowd was there.

“That’s why they’re here!”

Empty arenas can be difficult to play in, especially when you’re losing. That was the life of a UP Fighting Maroon before Coach Bo Perasol joined the program. No one really wanted to watch the team.

How quickly the tides changed.

The growth of UP’s fanbase was rapid. Alumni started to come in droves, especially when a spot in the Final Four started to become reality. But it wasn’t just those with UP diplomas who started to join in the Maroon fun.

Supporters from all across the Philippines (even the world!) started to go to games and understandably so. Aside from their love of the personalities (and looks) of certain individuals, the heart the Fighting Maroons showed the entire season drew them to support this group of underdogs. Who doesn’t love a good underdog story, right? Some are so good you’d even have to write a book about them.

UP’s story was that good. The fans, in their own little way, did their part by attending the games. The results, and the moments created, were unforgettable.

“We will be better!”

After making it to the Finals once, the expectations dramatically increased. The hype continued its rapid rise when the Fighting Maroons rolled out a star-studded roster for Season 82. Imagine including Kobe Paras and Ricci Rivero with the Gomez de Liano brothers and Akhuetie. Crazy, right?

It happened, except it didn’t lead to their expected result. The Season 82 Fighting Maroons technically ended the year with a worse standing, failing to make it to the Finals after being eliminated by Renzo Subido and the UST Growling Tigers. Heads were down in that moment and an inspirational speech wouldn’t have been enough to console that group. They knew they let people down with their performance.

Losing Season 82 wasn’t the end of the UP program. As a matter of fact, they had nowhere to go but up after that disappointment. They loaded up on new players and introduced a new leadership structure that changed the game for them. Coach Goldwin Monteverde was made Head Coach while Coach Bo Perasol was named Program Director. Utak at Puso.

It was only fitting that Coach Bo was promoted to that role. He’s always been a master recruiter, but more than that, he was a culture builder. Without him, UP wouldn’t have moved on from their days of being 0-14. He was able to set the tone as early as Season 79. All of his work in enriching Diliman’s basketball program finally paid off when the Fighting Maroons won its first championship in 36 years in Season 84.

Fast forward to December 2022 and the Fighting Maroons find themselves in quite a predicament. After winning Game 1 of the Season 85 Finals, they wound up losing Game 2 against the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 65-55. But they didn’t just lose a basketball game. They also lost Zavier Lucero after he tore the ACL and meniscus in his left knee.

“I’m done,” Zav said to his teammates with tears in his eyes. It was a difficult moment for the Fighting Maroons.

Allow this author to venture a guess. If Coach Bo was the one leading the charge at that time, he probably would have said this.

“I do not want you to look down. I want you to be proud!

We are in the Finals. WE ARE STILL IN THIS.

You achieved so much! You sacrificed so much!

That’s why the fans are there!

WE WILL BE BETTER.”

On December 19, Monday, we will find out if The Fighting Maroons will be better. Game 3. Do or die.

By Eriko dela Cruz

It was a different Ateneo Blue Eagles that played in Game Two versus the UP Fighting Maroons, a scarier one than the one against Adamson in the Final Four. A team with their backs against the wall, driven by purpose.

The Final Four win by the Blue Eagles was an offensive masterpiece. It seemed like everything they threw at the rim went in, and that 19-0 run in the third quarter was a testament to that, torching the Soaring Falcons en route to a sixth finals appearance. In Game One, however, things normalized, and saw themselves down a game heading into the second game.

What is the scary thing about the Blue Eagles in their 65-55 win against UP? For one, they held the UP Fighting Maroons to their lowest-scoring output since Goldwin Monteverde took over as head coach. Another scary thing is that they showed something sustainable on both ends of the court.

It seemed like the Blue Eagles remembered they had one of the most dominant forces in UAAP history and fed him more. Ange Kouame was the cornerstone of the offense, getting his points in the paint with a little more ease as the plays were for him. A domino effect happened because of this. Kai Ballungay finally had his first great encounter against UP, scoring 15 points benefitting from Ange’s gravity. The bench also showed up today, notably Geo Chiu (6) and Matthew Daves (6). They were definitely very instrumental, going above and beyond their roles to contribute to Ateneo’s output.

The Blue Eagles were more deliberate on offense. They were aggressive in the right amounts, and the attack was calculated. They involved Ange more in creation and they used his gravity to give Kai Ballungay more opportunities to score. 

That aggression from Ateneo’s bigs led to the Blue Eagles getting some notable Fighting Maroons into foul trouble. Ateneo did a great job getting Henry Galinato’s and MVP Malick Diouf’s first two fouls in the first quarter. Soon as they sat down almost the entire first half, they were out of their grooves.

Ateneo’s third-quarter runs are usually a balance of great defense matched with good offense. As much as Ateneo had great offensive execution in Game Two, it was their defense that carried them to victory. The Blue Eagles were very disciplined on defense, reading the passing lanes well. They did not swipe unnecessarily and defended with their feet. The coaching staff has done a tremendous job scouting The Fighting Maroons’ offense and stopped it to a grind. Even if Ateneo was outscored 8-11 in the fourth quarter, most of UP’s points came from Carl Tamayo and three came from Terrence Fortea. The Fighting Maroons were also forced to take haymaker shots because they were not getting good looks in the paint.

Sean Quitevis, man, take a bow. As BJ Andrade was in foul trouble for most of the game, Quitevis stepped up and defended UP’s guards very well. He is long enough to defend James Spencer and quick enough to cover JD Cagulangan and Terrence Fortea. He earned his minutes with relentless defense.

For now, all celebrations should end. Knowing this team, they are in the video room trying to see what they can do better. On the court, they are trying to apply what they learned. Coach Tab and the Blue Eagles have one last game to play this season. For Ange Kouame, Dave Ildefonso, and BJ Andrade, it’s their last game in the UAAP and a chance to cement their legacy.

Here’s a stat for all the stats nerds out there:

The last game 3 on a Monday that involved Ateneo, the team that lost game 1 eventually won the title.

See you Monday.

Five years ago, Goldwin Monteverde’s reputation in Philippine Basketball wasn’t as golden as his name would suggest.

In 2017, Monteverde’s Adamson Baby Falcons were involved in a controversy surrounding Encho Serrano’s eligibility with the team. That Season 79, from being sure-fire championship contenders who were the top team in the league, Gold’s Adamson fell to the bottom after having their first 11 wins of the season forfeited.

Baby Falcon hearts got broken, but Goldwin was not golden. The ordeal caused some pundits to tag him as controversial. It’s a tag that slowly went away as time went by.

It’s 2022 and the script has flipped for Monteverde. From facing off-court controversies with the Baby Falcons, he’s bounced back since then to go back to his winning ways. Two UAAP Juniors championships with the NU Bullpups. Countless offseason championships at the high school level. A list of former players that’s become the who’s who of the sport in this country.

Despite all these accolades, he still isn’t viewed as a top-of-mind option among casual fans when talking about elite basketball minds in Philippine Basketball. If you’re just talking about pure recall, it kinda makes sense, considering he doesn’t possess the eye-popping Mayhem (or biceps) of an Aldin Ayo, nor does his team’s execution stand out like how Charles Tiu has led the Benilde Blazers to surprise the NCAA this Season 98. At best, he’s remembered as, okay. Good. Saks lang.  

But recall isn’t everything. What matters the most are the results and the work done on the basketball court. Goldwin’s been a master of doing that since day one.

It’s a seemingly, easy task, but Goldwin’s done something only a few coaches has done in recent memory: get a loaded basketball team to play up to the talent level they’re made to play in. Just ask Derrick Pumaren and the De La Salle Green Archers. If you need an example closer to the hearts of Diliman; just ask Coach Bo Perasol and the Season 82 UP Fighting Maroons.

Just because you have the most talent doesn’t mean you’re automatic locks to win the championship. There’s more to coaching than just recruitment and preaching about heart.

Puso. It’s what Coach Bo Perasol brought to the Fighting Maroons program. It’s the literal lifeblood of a fan base with phrases that are connected to the ideals of puso. But you can’t just rely on heart. Everything that you do on the court also has to make sense.

That’s what Coach Goldwin has brought to this current era of Fighting Maroons; a basketball team that simply makes sense. They aren’t over-the-top dominant, that’s an unfair expectation given the level of competition surrounding them and their tactical nature as a basketball team. What UP has become is a reliable basketball team who doesn’t play below expectations. Goldwin’s a big part of that, especially with how he uses each piece in their roster according to how the basketball gods would use them.

You will rarely hear a peep regarding UP’s rotation and choice of roles from their alumni, quite simply because, everything makes sense. Their main offensive weapons are their best playmaker JD Cagulangan in the perimeter and their most polished scorer Carl Tamayo in the post. Malick Diouf is their defensive anchor and the player who can tie loose ends together on the offensive end. Zavier Lucero fills the needed holes. The rest of the Fighting Maroons help keep that core intact on the basketball court.

Was that previous paragraph an extreme simplification? Possibly, yes. It’s warranted, I believe, especially with how fluff-less Goldwin’s whole coaching style is with the Fighting Maroons. That lack of fluff in his coaching style is an achievement in itself, considering the glitz and glamour surrounding his team off the court.  

Goldwin is the type of coach who best embodies the saying, trabaho lang. To embody that in a basketball culture that’s filled with TikToks, media segments regarding things outside the court, and endless narratives being spit out by mamarus such as the authors of this website should earn him a medal in itself.

Goldwin champions his team to showcase IQ on the court while maintaining a high EQ when managing egos off of it.  IQ. EQ. Utak.

Puso. The Fighting Maroons have had that ever since Season 79. That in itself wasn’t enough to get the job done.

Utak. The Fighting Maroons got this the moment Goldwin Monteverde went back home to Diliman.  

Utak at Puso. With both in tow, the Fighting Maroons were able to bring home a championship last Season 84. They can bring home another one this Season 85.

UP coach Goldwin Monteverde and basketball program head Bo Perasol in the post-game. #UAAPSeason84 pic.twitter.com/lvpqeOLdF7

— ☕Theodore P. Jurado☕ (@theo78) May 13, 2022

But this championship shouldn’t just be about the Fighting Maroons further establishing themselves as college basketball’s undisputed ace. It’s also about Coach Goldwin Monteverde solidifying his status as a legend in Philippine amateur basketball.

He’s not just okay. He’s not just saks lang. He’s top-of-mind. He’s elite.

Goldwin is golden. This is his shot at proving that he’s an undisputed amateur basketball legend.  

By Eriko dela Cruz

underdog

noun

un·​der·​dog ˈən-dər-ˌdȯg 

1: a loser or predicted loser in a struggle or contest

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underdog

Safe to say, the Ateneo Blue Eagles are the underdogs in this series.

Prior to the finals showdown, Tab Baldwin addressed the elephant in the room; that his wards are not coming into the finals as the favorites.

“That Ateneo team in May had a lot more experience than this team, but I think this team has the DNA of underdogs, and I don’t think the team in May did.”

This quote set Twitter ablaze. UP fans were up in arms about calling the Blue Eagles underdogs, to the point where even the Blue Babble Battalion’s Brass Band was dragged into the conversation. Could it be possible? Could the team with an expat coach, a naturalized FSA, and friggin trumpets in the stands ever be the underdogs.

A lot of people have to understand, calling Ateneo underdogs in the finals does not mean they are a weak team. Making the finals every year with Coach Tab Baldwin at the helm is a feat no coach in the Final Four era has done. Ange Kouame, Dave Ildefonso, and Kai Ballungay in one team is a luxury a lot of teams would give a building in their university to have. The thing is, you have to put it in context of Ateneo vs UP alone.

But as good of a team Ateneo is, the UP Fighting Maroons are just that much better.

The UP Fighting Maroons are LOADED. Just when you think the starters are about to sit down, the bench will torment the opposing five just as hard, if not harder. Zavier Lucero, Henry Galinato, Harold Alarcon, and Cyril Gonzales backstopping Carl Tamayo, Malick Diouf, JD Cagulangan, and James Spencer is definitely an order of Mount Everest proportions. Ateneo’s bench isn’t as deep experience and skill-wise.

Outside of Ateneo’s starting five, the Blue Eagles bleed for points. Chris Koon is starting to be more consistent as a spark off the bench, but he alone is not enough to fill in when the starters are resting. Geo Chiu, Matthew Daves, and Josh Lazaro are all very useful, but you cannot expect them to score in bulk because they have specialized roles in the team. 

Coaching-wise, Coach Goldwyn Monteverde has proven to be a bigger thorn in the side of Tab Baldwin than Aldin Ayo. His coaching has translated very well from high school to college, winning in both levels. Aside from having his NU Bullpups as the core, recruits from all over the world complete their championship cast.

Eye tests and metrics indicate that the UP Fighting Maroons are the clear-cut favorites even before Game 1 started. The 72-66 victory against Ateneo solidified that, pushing them one game closer to repeating.

But basketball is not played in a statistics vacuum.

heart

noun

4: the emotional or moral nature as distinguished from the intellectual nature: such as

c: courage or enthusiasm especially when maintained during a difficult situation

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heart

Put your pitchforks down. The puso narrative has been used to oblivion, particularly by the Chot Reyes Gilas teams. If you try to play with just heart and nothing else, nine times out of ten the results will not come your way. 

But the Ateneo Blue Eagles have more than heart. Coach Tab Baldwin deserves to be in the pantheon of best coaches in the Philippines for his coaching genius. Ange Kouame is a legitimate case to be the best foreign student-athlete to ever play in the UAAP. Despite the obvious advantage that UP has, Ateneo has managed to make it a close game, and could have won had their shots fallen in. Safe to say, they have the weapons to try and win.

The first quarter of game 1 was probably the most telling quarter of the game. The Blue Eagles were caught flat-footed by the lineup adjustments by the Fighting Maroons. This dictated the direction of the game, as the Blue Eagles struggled to get their fingerprints in the game. The defense was elite, but the offensive system was checked by an equally-elite defense by UP.

The aggression that Ateneo brought in the second round needs to come back. They should not be taken aback by whoever starts for UP in game 2. If they decide to start with Zav Lucero and Henry Galinato again, they have to punish that lineup with Ange Kouame and Kai Ballungay’s height and skill. These two guys need to be more involved offensively and not rely on guard play. Both players have the skill to create off the dribble, or carve the space inside. Ange especially has an insane gravity that pulls defenders close to him, getting his teammates open.

Coach Tab needs to go out of his system a little bit. His systems work, but you cannot be rigid when you are being outmatched. A little space for creativity can be vital, especially when offense stalls. The equal opportunity offense that got Ateneo the three-peat in seasons 80-82 worked because of a deep lineup, but with the current team, it bodes well for them to focus on one to two main scorers. Sometimes, this is what servanthood is. Carrying the scoring load in order to give your team a chance at victory.

Dave Ildefonso has the offensive tools to open his teammates up. He is one of the best slashers in the league, and his gravity would be best suited to free up shooters waiting for him to dish. Of course, it also gives him an opportunity to attack the basket himself, and get some much-needed confidence boost. In the past two finals matchups against UP, people can see Dave struggle. But if he gets going, Ateneo has a better shot.

Coach Goldwyn Monteverde is 3-0 in the #UAAPFinals, Juniors 🏀 included, after winning game number 1 of a best -of-3 Finals. Meanwhile, Coach Tab Baldwin is 0-2 in the #UAAPFinals after losing game number 1.

— Pong Ducanes (@ompongski) December 11, 2022

Statistics are a nice metric to show where things MIGHT go. But there are no guarantees. As mentioned earlier, Basketball is not played in a statistics vacuum. That is the beauty of basketball. No games are won on paper. You have to play the game to win. We have seen underdogs win games, and the UAAP is no exception. Yes. The Ateneo Blue Eagles are the underdogs. But not to a point that they have to beg just to win. With their season on the line, the Blue Eagles need that underdog DNA to show itself in the basketball court.

Team Captain and King Eagle BJ Andrade said it best: ‘Di pa tapos.