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Death match
By: Theodore P. Jurado, Journal Online
BY the end of the day, either the University of the East Warriors’ Cinderella tale reaches its climax or Ateneo Blue Eagles‘
dominance stay for another season.
With pride, honor, tradition, and everything else at stake, the defending champion Eagles and the surprising Warriors go at it
again for one final time as they dispute the UAAP Season 72 men’s basketball title before an expected jampacked crowd at
the Araneta Coliseum.
The Warriors, tied with the Santo Tomas Tigers as the second winningest team in UAAP cage history with 18
championships, made the 3:30 p.m. death match possible following an emphatic 88-68 win over the heavily-favored Blue
Eagles in Game 2 Sunday to remain on track of scoring their first title in the last 24 years.
On the eve of their most important match in a season in which the underdog Warriors truly overachieved, rookie coach
Lawrence Chongson challenged his players, from Paul Lee, Pari Llagas, to Elmer Espiritu, to accomplish something that
would separate them from past UE greats – the likes of Bong Ravena, Jolly Escobar, Braulio Lim, Mar Morelos, James Yap,
KG Canaleta, Marcy Arellano and Mark Borboran.
“Ever since the second round, I’ve always told them, `What will differentiate you from the previous UE greats? What do you
have that they don’t?,” said Chongson, eyeing to be the first rookie coach to win a title since Pido Jarencio did it for UST
three years ago.
“Hopefully, winning the title would immortalize them in the 21st century.”
The Recto-based school has not won the UAAP crown since Allan Caidic led the Warriors to back-to-back championships in
1984 and 85.
UE’s 20-point winning margin was also the biggest in UAAP Finals in the last 11 years.
The Blue Eagles, 15-1 overall for the season until that 20-point blowout against the Warriors four days ago, are confident
they can bounce back from a disappointing setback just like true champions do.
“That 20-point setback in Game 2 is now irrelevant,” said coach Norman Black, one of the most decorated bench
drillmasters in the PBA, a stint that included a rare Grand Slam in 1989.
“In this (championship) series, we have to win two games. We equally have a chance of winning the title just like them.”
The Game 2 upset easily brought back memories of the 2006 Finals when the favored Ateneo Eagles lost to the underdog
Santo Tomas Tigers in the deciding Game 3 following a similar setback in the previous game.
“We can’t live in the past,” said Black as he downplayed what many had been insinuating as a pattern similar to that 2006
debacle.
Despite below par games from key players Rabeh Al-Hussaini, limited to just 18 points after averaging close to 28 in three
previous outings against UE this season, and take-charge guards Jai Reyes and Eric Salamat, Black believes the Eagles
are still going to run away with the title.
“We have lost just two games all year,” he pointed out. “Everybody has to realize that we just need one game to win the
championship. We are coming to win on Thursday, that’s just it.”
For the Warriors to have another shot at winning, Chongson said his frontcourt tandem of Espiritu and Llagas again have to
hit their outside shots to unclog the lane and force Al-Hussaini and Nonoy Baclao to move out of their comfort zone.
“We had to have better games in terms of offense,” Chongson admitted. “We put premium on defense, but we don’t stop
them from shooting. Basta open at hindi pilit, it’s just fine.”
Lost in the hoopla of the Ateneo-UE showdown is a similar do-or-die encounter for the juniors crown between arch rival
Ateneo and La Salle-Zobel at 11 a.m.
The Junior Archers forced the sudden-death following a 57-53 win over the defending champion Blue Eaglets in Game 2
Tuesday.
By: Theodore P. Jurado, Journal Online
BY the end of the day, either the University of the East Warriors’ Cinderella tale reaches its climax or Ateneo Blue Eagles‘
dominance stay for another season.
With pride, honor, tradition, and everything else at stake, the defending champion Eagles and the surprising Warriors go at it
again for one final time as they dispute the UAAP Season 72 men’s basketball title before an expected jampacked crowd at
the Araneta Coliseum.
The Warriors, tied with the Santo Tomas Tigers as the second winningest team in UAAP cage history with 18
championships, made the 3:30 p.m. death match possible following an emphatic 88-68 win over the heavily-favored Blue
Eagles in Game 2 Sunday to remain on track of scoring their first title in the last 24 years.
On the eve of their most important match in a season in which the underdog Warriors truly overachieved, rookie coach
Lawrence Chongson challenged his players, from Paul Lee, Pari Llagas, to Elmer Espiritu, to accomplish something that
would separate them from past UE greats – the likes of Bong Ravena, Jolly Escobar, Braulio Lim, Mar Morelos, James Yap,
KG Canaleta, Marcy Arellano and Mark Borboran.
“Ever since the second round, I’ve always told them, `What will differentiate you from the previous UE greats? What do you
have that they don’t?,” said Chongson, eyeing to be the first rookie coach to win a title since Pido Jarencio did it for UST
three years ago.
“Hopefully, winning the title would immortalize them in the 21st century.”
The Recto-based school has not won the UAAP crown since Allan Caidic led the Warriors to back-to-back championships in
1984 and 85.
UE’s 20-point winning margin was also the biggest in UAAP Finals in the last 11 years.
The Blue Eagles, 15-1 overall for the season until that 20-point blowout against the Warriors four days ago, are confident
they can bounce back from a disappointing setback just like true champions do.
“That 20-point setback in Game 2 is now irrelevant,” said coach Norman Black, one of the most decorated bench
drillmasters in the PBA, a stint that included a rare Grand Slam in 1989.
“In this (championship) series, we have to win two games. We equally have a chance of winning the title just like them.”
The Game 2 upset easily brought back memories of the 2006 Finals when the favored Ateneo Eagles lost to the underdog
Santo Tomas Tigers in the deciding Game 3 following a similar setback in the previous game.
“We can’t live in the past,” said Black as he downplayed what many had been insinuating as a pattern similar to that 2006
debacle.
Despite below par games from key players Rabeh Al-Hussaini, limited to just 18 points after averaging close to 28 in three
previous outings against UE this season, and take-charge guards Jai Reyes and Eric Salamat, Black believes the Eagles
are still going to run away with the title.
“We have lost just two games all year,” he pointed out. “Everybody has to realize that we just need one game to win the
championship. We are coming to win on Thursday, that’s just it.”
For the Warriors to have another shot at winning, Chongson said his frontcourt tandem of Espiritu and Llagas again have to
hit their outside shots to unclog the lane and force Al-Hussaini and Nonoy Baclao to move out of their comfort zone.
“We had to have better games in terms of offense,” Chongson admitted. “We put premium on defense, but we don’t stop
them from shooting. Basta open at hindi pilit, it’s just fine.”
Lost in the hoopla of the Ateneo-UE showdown is a similar do-or-die encounter for the juniors crown between arch rival
Ateneo and La Salle-Zobel at 11 a.m.
The Junior Archers forced the sudden-death following a 57-53 win over the defending champion Blue Eaglets in Game 2
Tuesday.