There can only be one

I’M writing this on the morning of Game 2 of the basketball finals of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 84.

I have no idea what the outcome will be: whether the Ateneo Blue Eagles will assert their might and rule the skies again with a win, or if the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons will pull off another miracle and win all the marbles in Game 2.

I won’t make any predictions that will be moot and * academic the morning after. Nor will I analyze the amazing 180-degree turn that UP made in Game 1 that stunned the Mall of Asia Arena crowd for quite awhile.

But I’ll admit that the shock attack engineered by the Maroons with some four minutes left in the game that cut an eight-point deficit to 3 behind Zavier Lucero’s crucial put-backs and a well-timed triple, made me feel like I had witnessed Lazarus being raised from the dead. Then that sudden, cold-blooded trey unleashed by James Spencer straight out of an inbound that tied the score at 70-all, 24.7 seconds to go, was pure shock entertainment.

UP flexed its vaunted defense in overtime, pressured Ateneo to miss shots and make crucial turnovers. Its offense clicked and it won by seven points. In the last almost four years, nobody had ever done that to Ateneo.

Thus, it’s expected that Ateneo will not allow a repeat of that scenario in Game 2. However Game 2 pans out though, the Fighting Maroons have helped make these Finals a must-watch for all basketball lovers. UP’S audacity and never-say-die spirit make for great entertainment. Their fearlessness and presence of mind against Ateneo has made them conquer uncharted territory.

This batch of Maroons is so intriguing because only three of them—ricci Rivero, Noah Webb and James Spencer—are holdovers from the 2019 team. All the rest are playing for UP in the UAAP for the very first time.

Newly minted Rookie of the Year Carl Tamayo leads this young batch that has seven rookies, three veterans, six transferees and two former Team B players.

Regardless of the outcome of Game 2, here are some interesting trivia about the Fighting Maroons’ and this Finals series:

n The last time UP played in the finals and won the crown was 36 years ago in 1986, the Year of the Tiger. Coincidentally, 2022 is also a Tiger Year—exactly three 12year cycles removed from the last championship year.

■ Both years were election years. A Snap National Election was held on February 7, 1986 while regular national elections were held just three days ago on May 9, 2022.

■ UP’S missing piece was always “the big man” in the middle. In 1986 Benjie Paras came from San Beda and became that missing piece. This year, Carl Tamayo came from National University and patrols the paint along with Malik Diouf.

■ UP’S 1986 team was composed largely of former San Beda juniors players: Ronnie Magsanoc, Eric Altamirano, Joey Mendoza, Duane Salvatierra, Jig Mendoza and Benjie Paras. The workhorses of UP’S 2022 team are core members of the National University juniors champion team—Jerry Abadiano, Terrence Fortea, Harold Alarcon and Carl Tamayo.

■ Then as now, the Maroons are going up against defending champions. The 1986 opponent was a starstudded University of the East that had Allan Caidic and Jerry Codiñera as main men. This 2022 squad is challenging an Ateneo team going for a 4-peat, led by Collosus of Rhodes, Ange Kouame, the reigning MVP.

■ The crowd was said to be a big factor in ’86. In his Sports Beat column in the Philippine Star, sports ed Lito Tacujan suggested that the Maroon crowd in ’86 intimidated UE. “They came in full force. Their sheer number scared the wits out of the UE Warriors,” Tacujan opined. Looks like this 21st century version Sea of Maroon, also fires up the team and gives it a tremendous push.

■ There’s shared DNA between the coach who led the Maroons to the 1986 championship and the current coach who is aiming to bring this current team to the mountaintop. Once upon a time, Coach Goldwin Monteverde played for Coach Joe Lipa in the Philippine Amateur Basketball League (PABL).

■ Lastly, did you notice? Both coaches are sure winners. It’s BALDWIN vs. GOLDWIN in this UAAP finals. But then, there can only be one.