Indomitable Ateneo
Ateneo’s greatest strength lies in its culture of discipline and unselfishness
Ateneo de Manila University had risen to an immaculate 10-0 record in Season 82 of the University Athletic Association of the Philipines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament.
With four more elimination round games left for the defending champions, they are looking good and heavily favored to notch the top seed and perhaps even complete a rare sweep of both rounds before entering the Final Four.
Just this past weekend, Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin and his wards repeated over their long-time rival De La Salle University, 77-69. The win formally sent the Blue Eagles to the Final Four and nudged their victims down the rungs of the team standings to solo fifth place below Far Eastern University and University of Santo Tomas.
Ateneo was relentless and efficient throughout the ballgame. Although La Salle would try to mount one rally after another, the Eagles just proved too poised and too disciplined to crack under pressure.
Credit to the Green Archers’ Encho Serrano, Justine Baltazar, Andrei Carracut, Jamie Malonzo and Aljun Melecio, who all scored in double digits, for putting up a great fight. But in the end, not even their best haymakers could topple the Blue Eagles.
It seems like in every game, a different Blue Eagle comes to fore and rises to the occasion. This time, it was Adrian Wong, whose hot hand fueled Ateneo’s drive for win No. 10.
Wong, who is in his fourth playing year in the UAAP, shot 4-of-7 from three-point range en route to a team-high 18 points.
Thirdy Ravena backed him up well with 13 points and seven rebounds while Ange Kouame reeled in another impressive double-double line with 10 points, 14 rebounds, eight coming off the offensive end, and three blocks.
As manifestation of the team’s depth and balance, every Atenean whom Baldwin fielded was able to score.
It’s just uncanny how this Ateneo squad just keeps on weathering every storm and battling back all corners.
Some have even commented how “predictable” the Blue Eagles’ games have become mainly because of how “invincible” they are.
A number have also suggested that the Eagles are so good, they may even beat one or two full strength teams in the Philippine Basketball Association.
I wouldn’t go that far, of course, but it’s true that Ateneo, for the past three years at least, has become the paragon of dominance in collegiate basketball.
A glance at the current UAAP team stats gives us a glimpse of how Ateneo is doing it.
The team, at least on a per game basis, is No. 1 in defense, free throw shooting percentage, blocks, and second chance points.
They also allow the lowest field goal percentage as well as fewest rebounds, points in the paint, fastbreak points, and second chance points. Aside from that, Ateneo had also forced the highest number of turnovers per game at 19.9.
Those numbers support the notion that Ateneo is currently the best two-way basketball team in all of college basketball.
But how did they do it?
Those numbers support the notion that Ateneo is currently the best two-way basketball team in all of college basketball.
I will admit to some inside information, but suffice to say that this is a team built not just on skills, athleticism, or size.
Ateneo’s greatest strength lies in its culture of discipline and unselfishness. This is a team that studies its opponents unlike any other team I have ever seen in the local context. This is a team that doesn’t think two or three steps ahead.
Instead, they do so five or more steps ahead.
This is a team whose machinery is meant not for a handful of people to be successful, but rather, is designed to enable each and every player to become an instrument for his teammate’s own success.
Here’s an oversimplified peek: Most teams will focus on how each player can get open for his own shot, but this Ateneo team focuses on how each player can get his teammates open for their shot.
There’s a subtle but also significant — yes, pardon the paradox — difference somewhere there, and that distinguishes this Ateneo team from the rest of the field.
They aren’t flawless, of course.
But at least for now, they look absolutely indomitable.