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Eagles, Warriors collide
Journal Online
UNIVERSITY of the East owns the second most number of titles won in the UAAP men’s basketball title history with 18, tied
with University of Santo Tomas and just one behind the record 19 of Far Eastern University.
But ranged against an Ateneo Blue Eagles team that has gone 29-2 overall from last year until this point as it seeks a
second straight title, the Warriors appear not worthy opponents, those remarkable championships in the past
notwithstanding.
As Game 1 of Season 72 Finals finally unfolds this afternoon before an expected sellout crowd at the Araneta Coliseum, the
third seeded Warriors are definitely a major underdog against the proud and mighty Eagles.
Black, in his third Finals with the Katipunan-based school, downplayed the effects of the four-day postponement had on the
Eagles as what happened in 2006 when Ateneo won Game 1 of the title series against UST, but lost the next two – and the
title – following a week-long rest due to the havoc brought by super-typhoon Milenyo.
“We can’t worry about what happened in the past. We have to deal with the present, which is to play and win for the school
the title,” he said.
“Besides, we’re too concerned of the Finals right now and I don’t believe in such things.”
Daunting the task staring them, the Warriors, however, believe in themselves.
“We plan to beat Ateneo with our defense,” Chongson stressed. “Our defense has been ridiculed. Sinasabi na walang
sistema or they said it’s a system without a system, pero we keep on winning dahil ang habol namin ay championship pa
rin.”
The Warriors are going to the Finals on a hot streak,
They’ve won their last eight outings, including back-to-back against second seed FEU Tamaraws in the Final Four, allowing
them to earn a second trip to the championship round in the last three seasons.
The title showdown is the first for the Warriors and Eagles in the last 22 years since an Ateneo team backstopped by Alex
Araneta and Jun Reyes, beat Jerry Codinera and the rest of the UE squad for its breakthrough title in the country’s premiere
collegiate league.
This season, the Eagles also hold a 2-0 lead over the Warriors in their head-to-head encounter.
Serving as sidelight in the title series is the expected match up between UE hotshot Paul Lee and Salamat, his former
teammate with the four-time NCAA junior champions San Sebastian Staglets.
“Close kong kaibigan si Eric dahil sa pinag-samahan namin sa Baste,” said Lee. “Pero siyempre sa court, magkalaban
kami dahil gusto kong tulungan ang team ko na manalo ng championship.”
Journal Online
UNIVERSITY of the East owns the second most number of titles won in the UAAP men’s basketball title history with 18, tied
with University of Santo Tomas and just one behind the record 19 of Far Eastern University.
But ranged against an Ateneo Blue Eagles team that has gone 29-2 overall from last year until this point as it seeks a
second straight title, the Warriors appear not worthy opponents, those remarkable championships in the past
notwithstanding.
As Game 1 of Season 72 Finals finally unfolds this afternoon before an expected sellout crowd at the Araneta Coliseum, the
third seeded Warriors are definitely a major underdog against the proud and mighty Eagles.
- “We’re definitely the underdog,” claimed UE rookie mentor
Lawrence Chongson. “In coaching alone, they have Norman
Black, who is a Grandslam PBA coach and a UAAP champion.
- “They also have championship experience, has a rich tradition, a
good basketball program and a strong alumni support.”
- Indeed, everything appears to be going Ateneo’s way entering a
best-of-three title series that was supposed to start last Sunday,
but had to be reset because of the very bad weather brought by
typhoon Ondoy.
- The Eagles, winner of four championships, including a sweep of
arch nemesis La Salle Green Archers in last year’s Finals, had
lost only once in 14 games in the eliminations -- a 68-58 upset of
the UP Fighting Maroons -- and made it to the championship
round by making short work of no. 4 UST Tigers, 81-64.
- The Eagles, fresh from a 10-day lay off, also boasts of a solid
frontline in former league MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Nonoy
Baclao and a deadly backcourt in Jai Reyes, Eric Salamat and
Ryan Buenafe.
Black, in his third Finals with the Katipunan-based school, downplayed the effects of the four-day postponement had on the
Eagles as what happened in 2006 when Ateneo won Game 1 of the title series against UST, but lost the next two – and the
title – following a week-long rest due to the havoc brought by super-typhoon Milenyo.
“We can’t worry about what happened in the past. We have to deal with the present, which is to play and win for the school
the title,” he said.
“Besides, we’re too concerned of the Finals right now and I don’t believe in such things.”
Daunting the task staring them, the Warriors, however, believe in themselves.
“We plan to beat Ateneo with our defense,” Chongson stressed. “Our defense has been ridiculed. Sinasabi na walang
sistema or they said it’s a system without a system, pero we keep on winning dahil ang habol namin ay championship pa
rin.”
The Warriors are going to the Finals on a hot streak,
They’ve won their last eight outings, including back-to-back against second seed FEU Tamaraws in the Final Four, allowing
them to earn a second trip to the championship round in the last three seasons.
The title showdown is the first for the Warriors and Eagles in the last 22 years since an Ateneo team backstopped by Alex
Araneta and Jun Reyes, beat Jerry Codinera and the rest of the UE squad for its breakthrough title in the country’s premiere
collegiate league.
This season, the Eagles also hold a 2-0 lead over the Warriors in their head-to-head encounter.
Serving as sidelight in the title series is the expected match up between UE hotshot Paul Lee and Salamat, his former
teammate with the four-time NCAA junior champions San Sebastian Staglets.
“Close kong kaibigan si Eric dahil sa pinag-samahan namin sa Baste,” said Lee. “Pero siyempre sa court, magkalaban
kami dahil gusto kong tulungan ang team ko na manalo ng championship.”
