5 reasons why Ateneo will three-peat

By UAAP News Admin on 9/25/2010 12:07:04 PM

By Anthony Divinagracia

Jokes are half-meant. So when Far Eastern University (FEU) coach Glenn Capacio engaged in healthy ribbing with fellow mentors and media men to officially kick-start the Season 73 basketball wars, the contrasting wisdom of his jesty remark said it all.

“We won’t let Ateneo score a three-peat,” Capacio quipped before a fleeting horde of well-wishers that cunningly darted a mild yet serious threat to the hardcourt reign of defending champion Ateneo de Manila University.

The Tamaraws for all intents and purposes have proven their clout against the Eagles back in the eliminations. But the Finals remain a thriving nest of power for Ateneo since 2008.

On that note alone, let us examine the five Cs that make the Eagles a looming three-peat wonder against the imposing challenge posed by the hungry Tamaraws.

Crowd. Lawrence Chongson refers to it as the “machinery”, Franz Pumaren describes it as “mammoth”, and Pido Jarencio calls it “barangay”. Whatever the label may be, the Sixth Man from Loyola Heights has been a notorious harbinger of distraction among Ateneo’s Finals opponents for the three seasons it made the Last Dance. On the flip-side of things however, the Ateneo faithful has been a steady source of inspiration for the Eagles especially in gut-check situations where dugout pep-talks become stale if not scarce off the minute huddle.

Coaching. Remember Doug Kramer’s classic last second shot that lifted the Eagles to a heart-stopping 73-72 squeaker over the UST Growling Tigers in Game 1 of the 2006 Finals? Well, credit that miracle play to the crunchtime brilliance of multi-titled coach Norman Black who has been at the Eagles’ helm for six years now. Pitting wits against Black is like facing the psy-war experts of the CIA. What you see is not always what you get. The Black Magic works in mysterious, if not inconceivable ways opposing bench tacticians often pass for coincidence or the proverbial breaks of the game. Truth inciting however, everything under the Black blueprint of Ateneo basketball success for two years now is calculated and systematically drawn.

With all due respect to Capacio, Black has fought the grander tactical battles which make him at times larger than life and in effect an undesirable customer of failure for two years now. Add to that his armada of assistants that include among others Jamike Jarin of the Eaglets’ three-peat fame, and former Eagles head coach Sandy Arespacochaga and you have a well-armed think tank ready for sideline warfare.

Court Generals. Eric Salamat, Kirk Long, and Emman Monfort. What do these guys share in common aside from donning the blue-and-white? They are all offensive machines and defensive wrenches inhabiting Norman Black’s coaching hardware. All can set the plays, hit the three, penetrate, find the open man and strip ball-handlers off their focus. Plus, the veteran troika is among the battle-tested Eagles who have soared in championship flight with Ateneo for the last two years. FEU may have a consistent 1-2 punch in RR Garcia and Terrence Romeo but the Tamaraws’ backcourt duo are more of a scoring couple than a defensive tandem, which makes a Salamat or Long isolation against their one-on-one guarding disadvantageous for the Season MVP and Rookie of the Year. Perhaps that’s the time Capacio brings in Jens Knuttel and Ping Exciminiano to fill the defensive slack. 

Composure. Ateneo is the kind of team that’s good at breaking the law of averages – most of the time. Late-game comebacks seldom prevail over Ateneo’s vaunted poise and resiliency. The Eagles’ four losses in the elimination against 10 wins extracted mostly from the jaws of defeat attest to this glaring fact.

Championship Experience. Kidding aside…this says it all