Custom made title.
In my opinion the recently concluded UAAP season 71 basketball title had already an owner even before the championship series started. The Ateneo Blue Eagles bagged the title at the expense of their arch rival De La Salle Archers 2-0. This was evident after the first round ended, with the Eagles sporting a solitary lost they were picked as favorites in the finals. The Eagles were destined to win the championship this year. The Archers on the otherhand, had a mediocre season, they had to slug it out with UE and FEU just to get the No. 2 position and the twice to beat advantage.
The Eagles time has come. The last championship it held was when Enrico Villanueva wore the blue and white jersey and this was in the early part of the millenium. With Norman Black heading the coaching staff of Ateneo he turned things around for the Eagles. The players also has to take credit for their success this season, Chris Tiu the co-captain for the squad had an above average output for the season. The other Eagles that deserves recognition are Rabeh Al-Hassaini, the 6'6 Tim Duncan-type center was the main reason why Ateneo was a cut above the rest of the field. With his presence inside the paint be it offensesively or defensively he was just doing marvels and doing things right for the team. For the feat he was voted the MVP for the season. Who can miss Nonoy Baclao, the Western Negros University recruit, without him Ateneo would have given more points to the opposing team. He was a force to reckon with defensively, with the way he plays he kind of remind me of Dennis Rodman. Lastly, Rookie of the year Ryan Buenafe, this former San Sebastian alumni will be a valuable player for the Eagles in the future. With his brilliant performance this season he might be even one of the future draft picks in the professional leagues. I am sure that with these players returning for Ateneo, the possibility of a return trip to the championship series is a reality.
Now we shift our attention to the runners-up - the De La Salle Green Archers. I am a La Sallian, and I am proud of being one. But in my opinion the team that fought against the Eagles during the finals really couldn't win against the Eagles. On the day that game one was schedule there was a newspaper section dedicated to the Eagles-Archers game and the column that really caught my attention was the comment of former Archer Mike Cortez. He said "Coach Franz knows how to motivate his players."With that insight I started hoping for an upset, the Archers in the past Archers won games and titles because of poise and team play this year those ingredients were absent. The veterans on the team - JV Casio and Rico Maierhoffer was not as effective as in the past and for the young Archers they are still raw experience-wise. I still commend and the coach and the players from De La Salle, they might not be as experienced they were still able to reach the finals and have the right to defend their title. Too bad, we weren't able to prove to them that we can win back-to-back. I am sure this lesson and this particular season will be a good experience for them.
It was the dream face off between the Eagles and Archers, I hope a sequel will follow soon.
