UP will win …
Yes. You read it right. U.P. is going to win….Clarification: I’m not saying they’ll win the UAAP championship (even if many would love to see a Cinderella ending to their season). They’re going to win, if not have already won, in the hearts of basketball fans. They’ve also won it for Cebu Basketball, thanks to Paul Desiderio, Jun Manzo of UV and the pair of Janjan Jaboneta and Pio Longga of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu. And for the UAAP, UP has won it for the league, helping in re-affirming the league’s status as the top collegiate league in the country that now rivals the Philippine Basketball Association in terms of popularity, ticket sales, TV ratings and overall following. Everyone loves an underdog and wants to see them win championships. UP is the clear underdog of the UAAP championship series against Ateneo de Manila, and while their chances of winning aren’t great, their season has been one for the books. The UAAP is quietly celebrating and rejoicing at all this.
UP’s Season 81 journey hasn’t been perfect, and this is what makes them so appealing; a perfect soap opera for basketball fans. With a lineup that boasted of UAAP MVP Bright Akhuetie, Desiderio on his final year, a more mature Juan Gomez de Liano and UV alumnus Manzo settling down, the Fighting Maroons were expected to cruise to the Final Four. But they stumbled at the start, sat at the bottom part of the team standings for a large part of the season, and were in danger of not making the Final Four. Doubts were thrown at them, including the coaching staff (what else is new?) and questions arose. Fast-forward to today and this roller coaster of a season is almost complete. A championship will truly make it a fairytale for the ages.
What has UP done? They’ve already won it for the UAAP. Quietly under the radar and going unnoticed are applauses and ear-to-ear smiles for the ticket sales and TV ratings that hit the charts when U.P. plays. For the business side, advertisers are aplenty for TV ads and on-ground mileage. A huge reason behind this is the support that it generates not only from its Diliman campus but also from across the country. At games, the UP crowd is second to none. Its cheering is loud, united and a sight to behold, especially when they chant “UP Fight” and “Unibersidad ng Pilipinas,” matched with a clap routine that they own and that no others can match (How I wish we had the same in the CESAFI). All players are unanimous in saying that the crowd gives them that extra push to go all out and not fail.The closest chants that are also good are “Go USTE” and “Go Ateneo, One Big Fight.” The impressive part about this is that this crowd support has always been there even when U.P. wasn’t winning in the past. Now that they’re winning, this has multiplied a hundredfold. Another factor for this phenomenon is that UP has never been known to be a basketball powerhouse with a rich history of championships. UP’s last championship was in 1986 with the trio of Benjie Paras, Ronnie Magsanoc and Eric Altamirano, and Joe Lipa as head coach. The last time they made it to the Final Four was in 1997. Maroon fans didn’t know what the Final Four was, thus earning the tag that they were always “exempted” from the finals. In UP, to be exempted from the final exams is the ultimate reward for the best students. It means an earlier sem break or vacation, and at least a grade of 1.25 or higher (1.0 is the highest grade). So when UP doesn’t make it past the elimination round, they’re “happy” as they’re “exempted” again, and again.
It now looks like things have changed. With a revitalized program that includes recruitment, more support for the student-athletes and more corporate backers coming in, there really is nowhere else to go but UP. A friend even dared to declare that the UP-Adamson rubber match last Wednesday may go down as the most pivotal game for both the UP and Adamson programs, and for the UAAP. UP will now become an easy choice for recruits, sponsors and buyers of season tickets. And for the UAAP, both UP and Adamson gave the audience (and sponsors) a fresh look vis-à-vis FEU, La Salle and NU.
Yes, UP will win the hearts of many, but it looks like Ateneo de Manila will win its second straight championship in what could be the most watched UAAP Finals in history. Ateneo’s program, system, coaching and team play will level up for the Blue Eagles. They’re peaking at the right time and have all spots covered from head to toe. It’s funny how UP’s program and line-up are similar to that of Ateneo. It’s a simple case of Ateneo’s program being a step higher/older than that of UP. More years of a program working under Coach Tab Baldwin means more fluidity, chemistry and years together as a team. The UP team is a few steps behind Ateneo’s program, but will mature and blossom soon. I just don’t feel that’ll happen now. A sight to watch out for will be the crowd support of both sides. I’m sure the Ateneo crowd, revved up by the other side, will refuse to be out-cheered and out-chanted. I also heard that viewing parties will be held at the Sunken Garden of UP Diliman and other places in and around Ateneo. UP Cebu hosted a free viewing event yesterday? U.P. Los Baños did for the game against Adamson and will most likely do the same for the finals. UAAP Executive Director Rebo Saguisag and ABS-CBN were already sporting million-dollar smiles at the Final Four and they’ll be smiling all the way to the bank when it all ends.
Isn’t it amazing how a UP win has created such a huge impact across the sports community?
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