The feat is winning the UAAP crown for two consecutive years, something Ateneo has done in 1987 and 1988 and the same thing that has suddenly beckoned the Eagles after they won an epic battle with long-time rival the La Salle Green Archers for the 2002 UAAP title Sunday.
The euphoria of the Ateneo victory is still in the air but members of the Ateneo team, supporters and even critics just can’t avoid staring at the future this early, seeing a rosy prospect of a title-repeat for the Jesuit-run school.
This is not to underestimate the recruitment and training programs of the other teams, but it can be argued Ateneo would still be a force to reckon with next season with the team keeping the nucleus of its champion squad – probably more mature – and welcoming the re-entry of two players who could make the Eagles more formidable.
Only Enrico Villanueva, Sonny Tadeo, Chris Quimpo, Andrew Cruz and Marco Benitez had played out their final season for Ateneo. Coach Joel Banal will still have at his disposal LA Tenorio, Rich Alvarez, Wesley Gonzalez, Larry Fonacier and Jeck Chia plus the comebacking Magnum Membrere and Paolo Bugia who sat out the 2002 season due to injuries.
"We were depleted this year but we won the title. Next year is no different but if we work harder and stick together, anything is possible," said Banal, himself hopeful they could make another good run at the championship next season.
But the former Mapua King Cardinal, national player and pro cager, who’s now a multi-titled mentor, expected a tougher grind, thinking University of the East and Far Eastern University would mature and become formidable foes, and La Salle likely to come back with a souped-up team in a bid to regain lost glory.
"It won’t be easy but it’s possible. We take pride in our work ethic and I think that helped us big time to overcome a lot of obstacles this year," said Banal.
True enough, the Eagles had to overcome a lot of obstacles before finally ending a 14-year title drought in the league.
First, the season had yet to start when they lost Bugia and Membrere to injuries. Then with the tournament at midstream and the team on a roller-coaster ride, Ateneo lost another key player in Tenorio due to a fractured finger bone sustained in practice.
But just as everybody thought the Eagles had become endangered species, the gallant squad rose to the occasion and made a swashbuckling run that had them entering the Final Four via the backdoor, wiping out the twice-to-beat advantage of the UE Warriors in the semis then moving on the threshold of the championship with a 72-70 thriller over the Archers in Game One of the finals.
It’s now history that La Salle grounded Ateneo in Game Two but the Eagles soared again in Game Three and reached the pinnacle of success in the country’s premier collegiate league.
"The graduating players have done their job so it’s time for the remaining ones to pick up the pieces and help us win another championship," said Banal.
Banal said their preparations for a title-repeat will start early with the team heading the cast in an ABS-CBN-organized charity cagefest featuring the top four teams from the UAAP and the NCAA, which was topped this season by the San Sebastian Stags.
Banal also intends to use the PBL, a league it has ruled last year, as a training ground for his players. He said: "We know that next year will be tougher so we need these tournaments to prepare us for next year. We know the opposition will try very hard to dethrone us next year so we have to watch our backs."
A team featuring Jun Reyes, Eric Reyes, Danny Francisco and a young Olsen Racela gave Ateneo its UAAP back-to-back championships in 1987-88. The feat was also achieved by a La Salle team bannered by Jun Limpot and Johnedel cardel in 1989-1990, the FEU team headed by Johnny Abarrientos and Vic Pablo in 1991-92 and the star-studded UST and La Salle squads that build dynasties in 1993-96 and 1998-2001, respectively.
La Salle had had a good shot at a fifth straight title.
But an Ateneo sooth-sayer said: "It’s written no 14-game sweep on the 14th of September and no fifth championship on the fifth of October." He was right.