Rookie coaches a class act

A pair of rookie coaches will square off in the much-awaited showdown between archrivals Ateneo and La Salle in the first round of eliminations in the UAAP senior men’s basketball championships at the MOA Arena this afternoon. Although Ateneo’s Bo Perasol and La Salle’s Juno Sauler are both steeped in experience, they’re making their debut in the UAAP season as head coaches.

No doubt, there’s pressure on Perasol and Sauler to nail a win not only because it’s a duel between the Eagles and Archers but also because their teams badly need to inch up the standings. Ateneo is 0-2, losing to NU, 64-54, and FEU, 79-75, in overtime while La Salle is 1-1, bowing to UST, 63-58, in overtime and drubbing UP, 96-84. The fact that both teams have played one overtime in their first two games is an indication of fighting spirit in the face of chemistry issues.

The Eagles’ winless record is deceptive as star gunner Kiefer Ravena played only eight minutes in the NU loss and sat out the FEU cliffhanger nursing an ankle sprain. Ateneo roared back from a 24-point deficit with 5:31 left to lose by 10 to NU, staging a furious rally down the stretch with Ravena on the bench. Then, the Eagles showed remarkable resiliency in pushing FEU beyond the limit even as Ravena was indisposed. It’s not certain if Ravena will play today.

As for La Salle, the Archers also displayed grit in overcoming a 13-point disadvantage to force overtime against UST only to lose steam with Jeron Teng fouled out in regulation. They broke into the win column at UP’s expense, marking Sauler’s first victory at the La Salle helm.

In terms of UAAP and NCAA senior and junior basketball championships, Ateneo has the edge over La Salle, 50-23, over the years. The Eagles enjoy a 22-12 edge in senior titles, including 8-7 in the UAAP buoyed by Ateneo’s five-peat that capped coach Norman Black’s varsity stint last year. La Salle lost thrice to Ateneo last season, the third setback a 66-63 thriller in the Final Four. In the Filoil Flying V preseason Premier Cup last May, the Eagles continued their mastery by defeating La Salle, 78-70, behind Ravena’s 31 points in 34 minutes.

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Perasol, 41, and Sauler, 40, are two of the most cerebral coaches in the UAAP. Their career paths are coincidentally similar. They’re degree holders (Perasol has a broadcast communications degree from UP and Sauler, an economics degree from La Salle). They got their feet wet in the corporate world (Perasol with FedEx/Air 21 as South Luzon operations manager and Sauler with Ayala and Jollibee in human resources) before embarking on full-time coaching careers. They’ve gained valuable experience in the PBA (Perasol as head coach for seven years with Air 21 and Powerade while Sauler as Ginebra San Miguel assistant coach for 11 years). Perasol was an assistant coach at UP, Welcoat in the PBL, Surigao and Laguna in the MBA and FedEx/Air 21 in the PBA. As head coach, Sauler led the La Salle Lady Archers to three UAAP senior’s titles in 1999-2001. They’re excellent motivators with a scholarly approach to the game. Their knowledge of the Xs and Os is undisputable. Both like to keep things simple so their players appreciate the mechanics of execution to the last detail.

Perasol joins Ateneo with big shoes to fill but there’s no better choice as Black’s successor. Gone are Nico Salva, Greg Slaughter and Justin Chua but Perasol is a whiz at maximizing the use of the pieces in his hands. He piloted Air 21 and Powerade to runner-up finishes in the PBA despite lineups that weren’t as talented as most others in the league. Ravena, Ryan Buenafe, Von Pessumal, Juami Tiongson, Frank Golla, J. P. (Poy) Erram and Nico Elorde are back plus Perasol has athletic Fil-Am Chris Newsome in harness.

Sauler was tapped to succeed Gee Abanilla three weeks before the season began and had to conduct twice-a-day practices to bring the Archers up to speed. He’ll miss Joshua Webb and Jovet Mendoza who’ve played out their UAAP eligibility and shot-blocker Yutien Andrada who suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during the recent Filoil Flying V. La Salle will rely on comebacking Teng, Almond Vosotros, L. A. Revilla, Arnold Van Opstal, Norbert Torres and Thomas Torres as Sauler hopes to generate mileage from rookies Jason Perkins, Matt Salem, Kib Montalbo and Robert Bolick.

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“Our goal is to improve on a daily basis,” said Sauler. “There’s no different feeling in coaching against Ateneo as I treat it like any other basketball game. The key to winning in today’s game is getting more assists than turnovers. It’s a very challenging task to take over three weeks before the opening but it’s never going to be an excuse of how the team performs this season. We do what we have to do. We prepare and plan as much as we can.”

Regarding team chemistry, Sauler said “we work on it day in day out at practice, we let the players know the strength of each one so we can maximize their potential.” He described the league as very balanced and pointed out that no team can be taken lightly. “That’s why we have to have the same mindset going into every game,” Sauler added. “It’s not about whom we play. It’s about ourselves.”

As for Perasol, he said if the Eagles are complete and healthy early this season, the expectation is to contend for a slot in the Final Four. “We may struggle in terms of gaining more experience for those who are new and had not been playing much before but I know they will learn as the season progresses,” he said. “For me, the Ateneo-La Salle game is just incidental in our quest to improve and gain more toughness despite what we are undergoing as a team. My desire is more on to grab our chance to get our first win rather than just beat La Salle.”

Perasol said the key to victory in every game is to believe that “we can win against any team despite our circumstances.” He continued, “the game plans will always be well-thought-of, it’s the inner strength of the team that will fuel those plans.” Perasol noted that his prime responsibility is to make the Eagles believe that they can win despite the odds. “That’s quite a familiar story for me,” he said.

The drama of today’s game will extend beyond school loyalty, bragging rights and one-upmanship among players. The interesting sidelight is the battle of wits from the bench. Perasol against Sauler is a classic match-up that brings to the stage two of the brainiest coaches in the league today.