Anatomy of a repeat

The Ateneo Blue Eagles will be celebrating tonight the rare feat of a double back-to-back championships in both the UAAP juniors’ and seniors’ basketball competition. It was a challenging series against a gallant, emotional University of the East Red Warriors, who earned the respect of the league by proving doubters wrong.

Losing primarily team captain Chris Tiu and Yuri Escueta, the Blue Eagles kept their core of veterans who would be filling in their shoes.

UE, which had been led by Marcy Arellano and James Martinez, found new leaders in Paul Lee and Elmer Espiritu, and ran roughshod over most of their opponents in a relaxed system under rookie coach Lawrence Chongson.

Until the end of the series, some fans were skeptical about Ateneo’s chances, citing 2006, when UST knocked out the Blue Eagles after almost missing the Final Four. In 2007, UE swept the field on its way to the finals, where it was swept, in turn, by the returning De La Salle Green Archers. Was there a jinx against rookie coaches?

In Game One, Ateneo’s bigs kept in control, with Rabeh Al-Hussaini continuing his dominance of UE, relentlessly hitting the perimeter jumper. The Red Warriors opted to let Lee come off the bench, and it hurt their offense. The long minutes played by Espiritu also diminished his skills in the second half, as he himself admitted he didn’t have the legs to keep up. Ateneo’s high-post play to Al-Hussaini kept UE confused, and Jai Reyes, hours removed from being airlifted from his home which was submerged by typhoon Ondoy, hit five out of five from three-point range to stretch the Red Warriors’ defense. He finished with 17 points.

In Game Two, Chongson made a critical adjustment with Espiritu starting at center and Lee not stewing on the bench. The change in match-ups forced Al-Hussaini to come out and guard E-Squared, opening the lane for penetrations by the guards. The bench of UE was thoroughly dominating, both on offense and off the boards, with Raffy Reyes and Rudy   Lingganay stoking the emotional fire. In the second quarter, the bench played so well, Espiritu got a long rest, coming in with roughly four minutes to go in the period. Ateneo’s bench was flat, and the match-up between Pari Llagas and the younger frontline of the Blue Eagles became one-sided.

UE kept its poise, and kept its control. Ateneo tried vainly to connect from outside, hitting a miserable seven of 34 from three-point range. In the fourth quarter, frustration mounted with Emman Monfort giving up a useless unsportsmanlike foul on offense, giving UE two free throws and a possession that turned into a spectacular alley oop slam from Lee to Espiritu. The Red Warriors’ lead went from 15 to 19 on that single foul. Game over.

UE shot 52 percent for the game. Norman Black reminded his players that the 20-point defeat was just one game.

Strangely, in Game Three, UE went back to what didn’t work in Game Two. Lee came off the bench again, and new faces were in the starting line-up. The Blue Eagles started out with more intensity on defense, and constantly ran the ball up on offense, tiring out the Red Warriors. Al-Hussaini demanded the ball, and was in double figures before halftime. Eric Salamat finally showed up, joining forces with Ryan Buenafe for a searing 12-0 run to end the first half. Ateneo held UE to just eight points in the second quarter, and only one assist in the entire first half, leading by 15.

In the third quarter, an uncoordinated UE side tried to make a run, mainly on one-on-one plays. Pari Llagas did not hit a field goal in the entire 27 minutes he was on the floor, and the rest of the team could not fill the vacuum. To make matters worse, Jai Reyes rediscovered his outside shot, keeping UE’s defense honest. With five minutes left, the lead was 20. Ateneo had banished its ghosts.

Al-Hussaini finished with 21 points and 14 boards, and was named Finals MVP.

What’s next for the Blue Eagles and the Red Warriors? First, they have to hurdle the Philippine Collegiate champions League in November, then examine their line-ups for next season. The Blue Eagles will be losing Al-Hussaini, Nonoy Baclao and Reyes, decimating their frontline. The Red Warriors will graduate Espiritu, Llagas, Lingganay and Val Acuña, the bulk of their starting line-up.

This will mean greater parity in the UAAP next year, as the Final Four teams will all be rebuilding. UST is losing its double-barreled threat of Dylan Ababou and Khasim Mirza. FEU is recovering from their Final Four meltdown and the controversial dismissal of Marc Barroca. The rest of the league has a chance to play them on even terms.

But then again, that is tomorrow’s concern. Today, the Blue Eagle is king, again.