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Eagles seek UAAP crown today
Journal Online
WILL the gods of basketball smile again on the Ateneo Eagles this afternoon?
Or will it be the University of the East Warriors who’ll be blessed?
We’ll know the answer today when the two teams mix it up for the second time starting at 3:30 p.m at the Big Dome,. with
the Eagles trying to clinch the title via a sweep and complete their first ever ‘two-peat’ in 21 years and the Warriors hoping to
extend the series to a deciding third game next week.
Despite the Eagles having the psychological advantage, the Warriors are still confident that they can bounce back and send
the best-of-three series to where it started.
Al-Hussaini, last year’s MVP, unloaded 28 markers, including the shot clock-beating jumper in the last 1:03 that broke UE’s
backs, while Reyes fired 15 of his 17 points beyond the arc.
“We got confident in the second half when they started to knock in their shots, especially from the outside,” said Ateneo
mentor Norman Black.
If they pull thru against the Warriors, the Eagles will snare their second ‘back-to-back’ championships, which they first did
in the 1987-88 season.
Ateneo hopes to duplicate its 16-1 record which its did last year, highlighted by its 2-0 finals sweep against archrival La
Salle.
To do this, the Eagles must have an antidote to neutralize slippery guard Paul Lee.
Quiet in the first three periods, Lee scattered nine of his 15 points in the final quarter where UE kept abreast on Ateneo
before fading down the stretch
“Paul Lee is gonna be a big headache for us coming Game 2, especially now that their backs are against the wall. We can’t
stop him, we will try to control him,” said Black, a Grand Slam PBA coach who is seeking his second UAAP title.
A win by the Warriors, who were swept by the Green Archers in the 2007 championship after winning all their 14 games in
the eliminations, will drag the series to a ‘do or die’ slated this Thursday at the Big Dome.
Before the match, University of Santo Tomas standout Dylan Ababou will be crowned as the season MVP and his teammate
Jeric Teng as Rookie of the Year.
Ababou, Al-Hussaini, Lee, UE’s Elmer Espiritu and Aldrech Ramos of Far Eastern University will comprise the league’s
Mythical Team. (Theodore P. Jurado)
Journal Online
WILL the gods of basketball smile again on the Ateneo Eagles this afternoon?
Or will it be the University of the East Warriors who’ll be blessed?
We’ll know the answer today when the two teams mix it up for the second time starting at 3:30 p.m at the Big Dome,. with
the Eagles trying to clinch the title via a sweep and complete their first ever ‘two-peat’ in 21 years and the Warriors hoping to
extend the series to a deciding third game next week.
Despite the Eagles having the psychological advantage, the Warriors are still confident that they can bounce back and send
the best-of-three series to where it started.
- “Now we know that we can compete with Ateneo,” said UE coach
Lawrence Chongson after their 71-78 setback in the series opener last
Thursday.
- To forge a deciding Game 3, the Warriors must have a strong endgame
against Eagles, who are eyeing their fifth league title since joining the
league in 1978.
- “We were in the game pero kapag humahabol kami, they made some
shots. It was close until the last minute of the game,” said Chongson.
- “I told the boys that they went through so many frustrations in the past.
Ako nga itong bago, ako pa ‘yung medyo kampante na kayang talunin
ang Ateneo. But you can see from my players that they tend to be
tentative at times,” he added.
- Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Jai Reyes, who both want to end their final
season for the Blue Eagles on a winning note, delivered the killer blows
for the Katipunan-based squad in Game 1.
Al-Hussaini, last year’s MVP, unloaded 28 markers, including the shot clock-beating jumper in the last 1:03 that broke UE’s
backs, while Reyes fired 15 of his 17 points beyond the arc.
“We got confident in the second half when they started to knock in their shots, especially from the outside,” said Ateneo
mentor Norman Black.
If they pull thru against the Warriors, the Eagles will snare their second ‘back-to-back’ championships, which they first did
in the 1987-88 season.
Ateneo hopes to duplicate its 16-1 record which its did last year, highlighted by its 2-0 finals sweep against archrival La
Salle.
To do this, the Eagles must have an antidote to neutralize slippery guard Paul Lee.
Quiet in the first three periods, Lee scattered nine of his 15 points in the final quarter where UE kept abreast on Ateneo
before fading down the stretch
“Paul Lee is gonna be a big headache for us coming Game 2, especially now that their backs are against the wall. We can’t
stop him, we will try to control him,” said Black, a Grand Slam PBA coach who is seeking his second UAAP title.
A win by the Warriors, who were swept by the Green Archers in the 2007 championship after winning all their 14 games in
the eliminations, will drag the series to a ‘do or die’ slated this Thursday at the Big Dome.
Before the match, University of Santo Tomas standout Dylan Ababou will be crowned as the season MVP and his teammate
Jeric Teng as Rookie of the Year.
Ababou, Al-Hussaini, Lee, UE’s Elmer Espiritu and Aldrech Ramos of Far Eastern University will comprise the league’s
Mythical Team. (Theodore P. Jurado)
