REMEMBER THESE BLUE EAGLES?

15 years ago, they were the best examples of student-athletes

Save for a basketball signed by members of the 2002 Ateneo basketball team, there’s hardly a memento of the squad that snapped La Salle’s bid to win the five-peat while ending a 14-year title drought in the UAAP basketball wars inside the office of Arben Santos.

The Ateneo sports Hall-of-Famer may have nurtured those Blue Eagles 15 years ago but his favorite reminders of their success are the lives they lead today.

“Give the players all the credit. They gave it all and they knew what was at stake,” said Santos.

Larry Fonacier’s rejection of Mac Cardona’s desperation one-hander became the poster shot of the memorable best-ofthree title series, which the Eagles ruled in three tough games.

Santos spent his time with the players preaching the value of education and sharing with them his business acumen.

“I kept on telling them not to forget their studies. Remember they are student-athletes, not just athletes. Books and balls must complement each other,” said Santos, a football star at Ateneo. “The championship is the culmination of their athletic lives, while getting their degree is the culmination of their lives as students.”

Fifteen years later, those players have trekked their own paths to success.

Fonacier, playmaker LA Tenorio, JC Intal and Doug Kramer continue to dazzle in the pros. Enrico Villanueva recently retired. All four finished their AB Interdisciplinary Studies.

Intal runs a taxi business and has stakes in several restaurant businesses. Tenorio, Ginebra’s backcourt wizard, is also into the restaurant business while investing in a center for kids and an elevator construction company.

Villanueva heads Villanueva Bugia Trading, Blue Fields Petroleum Services and RNJ Villanueva Corp.

Kramer and his family are social media ambassadors. He manages a fleet of taxis on top of being part owner of Sniff and Cuddle baby cologne. Paolo Bugia earned an MBA after graduating with a Management Information Systems degree. Bugia, whose sister is married to Tenorio, is also the team manager of Phoenix Fuel Masters.

Rich Alvarez also has a degree and is married to singer Kyla. He also invested in various food businesses. Wesley Gonzales also boasts an MBA and owns a poultry business.

Gec Chia and reliever Eric Yao are both degree holders and have successful careers. So does everyone in that 2002 team.

Because those Eagles believe that while ball, indeed, is life, there’s also life after ball.