MANILA, Philippines – Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin had no illusions that the Blue Eagles would contend for the UAAP senior men’s basketball title before the season opened but now, the situation looks promising as the Loyola squad has earned a place in a three-way race for a twice-to-beat advantage and the No. 2 spot in the Final Four.
La Salle (12-1) is safely at No. 1 with a game left against FEU (8-3) on Saturday. FEU is in solo second with three games to go against Ateneo today, La Salle and UE. Ateneo (7-4) is No. 3 with three games remaining against FEU, UST on Saturday and Adamson. In No. 4 is Adamson (6-5) with three games left against UST today, NU on Sunday and Ateneo. NU (5-8) and UP (5-8) are tied at No. 5 with a game left each. They wind up their schedules on Sunday with the Bulldogs facing Adamson and the Maroons taking on UE.
For NU and UP to gain a playoff for No. 4, they must win their last game and the Falcons must lose three in a row. Once Adamson wins even one of its next three outings, the Bulldogs and Maroons are eliminated. With three games left, the Falcons could rise to No. 2 if they sweep and neither FEU nor Ateneo is able to notch win No. 9.
There’s a possibility of a three-way tie for No. 2 as FEU, Ateneo and Adamson could end up with identical 8-6 records. Another scenario is a two-way tie for No. 2. Playoffs will settle ties for No. 2 and No. 4.
The Eagles could clinch No. 2 outright if they beat FEU, UST and Adamson while the Tamaraws lose two of their last three assignments. That would raise Ateneo’s record to 10-4 and drop FEU’s mark to 9-5. Ateneo’s only losses were to La Salle, 97-81, UP, 56-52, Adamson, 62-61 and NU, 70-60.
Before the season began, Ateneo struck out five veterans – Koko Pingoy, Arvin Tolentino, Hubert Cani, Clint Doliguez, John Apacible – and two incoming players C. J. Perez and Kemark Carino for academic reasons in a major revamp that initially dimmed the Eagles’ hopes of a title finish. But Baldwin has slowly transformed the team into a serious contender.
Last Saturday, Ateneo won its third game in a row at La Salle’s expense and snapped the Archers’ unbeaten 12-0 streak, 83-71, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The Eagles got the job done on both ends, hitting 50.8 percent from the floor and limiting La Salle to 28.8 percent. Ateneo had the edge in rebounds 48-43, assists 20-10, points in the paint 44-26, fastbreak points 16-10 and bench points, 55-24. Leading the charge was Aaron Black who came off the bench to collect 16 points and seven boards in 19 minutes. Matt Nieto fired 15, Adrian Wong 11 and Isaac Go 10. Ten Eagles logged at least 10 minutes compared to eight for La Salle.
After the game, Baldwin and Black’s father Norman spoke outside the lockerroom. Baldwin invited the man who coached Ateneo to five straight titles to join the team in the dugout for the coming games. “It would mean a lot to the guys and an honor for the team,” said Baldwin. With a twice-to-beat incentive looming in the horizon, Baldwin is looking for an extra push, an extra motivation, an extra inspiration and the Meralco PBA coach could provide it.
Baldwin said this season was supposed to be a learning experience for the rookie-laden Eagles. He never expected the team to blossom so soon with five freshmen and seven players in only their second year in the league. What swelled Baldwin’s heart was the Eagles’ commitment to work hard and never to back down. It showed in the way Ateneo outrebounded and outhustled the Archers.
“We prepared for La Salle’s press and when we cracked it, we scored layups,” said Baldwin. “Credit to the guys on the floor. They wanted it more, they worked hard for it. We made La Salle play our game and took away their transition.”
It was a stark contrast from their first encounter when La Salle crushed Ateneo by 16 as Ben Mbala hit 28 points on 11-of-13 from the floor and the Archers had more rebounds 49-41, fastbreak points 21-2 and points in the paint 42-20.
La Salle coach Aldin Ayo took responsibility for the loss. “I’m to blame,” Ayo told the Archers in the dugout. “I didn’t prepare you hard enough. Let’s savor this. We’ll all learn from this defeat.” Team captain Jeron Teng consoled Mbala who was in tears, saying, “let’s bounce back stronger because there are bigger games ahead.” The Archers will play the No. 4 team with a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four.