Eagles dare to reach rare four-peat

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo lost two key men but beefed up its roster with blue-chip rookies in seven-foot Greg Slaughter and high school phenom Kiefer Ravena as the Eagles seek to extend their reign in the UAAP men’s basketball competition unfolding July 10 at the Araneta Coliseum.

An overweight Ryan Buenafe, who bagged the MVP honors in last year’s finale, was dropped from this year’s lineup while playmaker Eric Salamat has graduated. But the Eagles backcourt remains formidable with Ravena proving his worth early when he won the MVP plum in the pre-season Flying V tournament while helping steer the team to the championship.

The Blue Eagles, however, expect a rough road to their four-peat bid as the rest of the field boosted their respective rosters in the hope of toppling what has become an Ateneo dynasty in the country’s premiere college league.

From Season 74 president Ricky Palou, Ateneo Board representative Emmanuel Fernandez, to Blue Eagles team manager Paolo Trillo, the consensus is that Far Eastern University Tamaraws and Adamson Falcons are the two elite teams expected to crowd the Katipunan-based school for the coveted crown.

“It’s a tough league and any team can beat any team,” said Trillo, who comprised the Ateneo panel which appeared in Tuesday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s UN Ave. “But if you’re asking which are the teams that pose as major threats, I would say they’re FEU and Adamson because of their intact lineup.”

Reigning league MVP RR Garcia and Smart Gilas-Pilipinas standout Aldrech Ramos are again at the forefront of the Tamaraws’ bid to reclaim the title they last won in 2006, while Alex Nuyles, Jan Colina and Eric Camson will be back for another tour of duty for the Falcons.

Palou, who is also Ateneo athletic director, is likewise not discounting the threats of bitter rival La Salle and the rejuvenated National University squad, whose athletic director, Junel Baculi, was present too, in the same session presented by Smart, Pagcor, Shakey’s and Outlast Battery.

The Bulldogs, coming off a championship stint in the recent Fr. Martin’s Cup, will again be bannered by last year’s Mythical 5 member Emmanuel Mbe, although additional firepower is going to be provided by former national youth team stalwarts Kyle Drexler Neypes, Cedrick Labing-isa and the much-heralded Bobby Ray Parks.

Baculi considers NU and La Salle as possible dark horses, but likes the Bulldogs’ chances if and when Parks will be given the go-signal to play by the UAAP Board.

The son of legendary former PBA import Bobby Parks is still doubtful to play for the Bulldogs owing to eligibility issue, which the Board won’t address until July 5.

“We will present the documents to the Board,” said Baculi, pertaining to papers certifying that Parks attended secondary schooling at NU.

 “So it is up to the Board to decide if he (Parks) can play this season or not.”

According to Palou, Ateneo is leaving nothing to chance to make the school’s hosting this season special.

Unlike before when basketball competition formally ushers the new season, this year will have Season 74 being unveiled behind an Olympic-style opening at the Marikina Sports Complex on July 9.

Palou said athletes representing all sports calendared in the UAAP will be in attendance during the fiesta-like gathering which has for its theme “All Out, All Heart.”

The following day, action in basketball begins, with FEU taking on La Salle in the 1 p.m. opener and Ateneo opening its title retention bid against Adamson at 3 p.m.