“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.

By Francis De Ungria

Destiny.

UP’s championship last season was like a well-written piece on the art of basketball and everything that comes with it. They were the Avengers, the last hope. It felt like that championship was the culmination of what the UP community endured through its darkest years, and then with a shot from the heavens, they won it.

But this season is different. While last season was their destiny to win the championship and end a 36-year championship drought, this season will add to their legacy as the best UP Fighting Maroons team of all-time, and will certainly be in the discussion for one of the UAAP’s all-time great teams. Posting a league-best defensive rating this season (85.8), UP has clamped down against UAAP’s elite offenses. Their offense is currently ranked second (96.3) behind Ateneo (100.1), but when things clicked, it felt like they were the best offensive team in the UAAP. 

With that in mind, what are the keys for UP to win back-to-back titles and solidify their legacy in the UAAP?

Zavier Lucero needs to show up

Lucero has everything you need for a modern wing, he can shoot, pass, and dribble enough to make him a focal point of your offense. But he also has the physical gifts and defensive instincts that make you wonder about Lucero’s potential as he moves up to the pros. But against Ateneo, he has only averaged 5 points on just 19.7% True Shooting. With the possibility of Carl Tamayo not being 100%, the Fighting Maroons will have to bank on Lucero for offensive firepower.

Defending the three

UP would need to take notes when Ateneo showed a glimpse of how they can dominate teams with their three-point shooting when they faced the Adamson Soaring Falcons in their Final Four matchup. The good news is, UP has limited their opponents to shooting 23.66% beyond the arc. But in their recent game versus Ateneo where they lost, they have allowed the Blue Eagles to shoot 36.0% from three. 

Asserting themselves offensively

The offensive firepower UP has should be unmatched. They have the shooting prowess of Terrence Fortea, James Spencer, and Harold Alarcon. Who could even defend a lineup with Zavier Lucero and Carl Tamayo in it? Not to mention the duo of JD Cagulangan and Malick Diouf who has shown up for UP in the most crucial of times. But that hasn’t been the case consistently. While they do possess the second-best offense in the UAAP, their offense has performed worse when facing UAAP’s elite defense. With the Blue Eagles hungrier than ever, the Fighting Maroons would need to polish their execution and assert themselves as the better team offensively.

Malick Diouf Forever

The MVP holds two key factors to determine UP’s fate in this finals series. On defense, he will need to anchor the league-best UP defense while also clamping down against all-time UAAP great Ange Kouame. On offense, he will need to remain consistent for the Fighting Maroons while also alleviating some pressure off the UP guards as a post hub. 

Prediction

We should be in for another classic matchup between the new-age rivals. At the start of the season, it looked like UP was miles away from the competition, but with Ateneo peaking just before the finals, the Fighting Maroons will need to execute a masterclass on both ends of the court, which they can do. UP in three. 

Six teams down. One more to go.