1987 -1988 BLUE EAGLES TWENTY YEARS AFTER

Inducted to the 2009 ASHOF - Joseph Kenneth "Jet" Nieto, Joseph "Seph" Canlas,
Alejandro "Alex" Araneta, Emilio "Nonoy" Chuatico

The Ateneo can only hold you for so long so when the dust settled everyone went their own way.  There were those that pursued basketball as a career.    Jun Reyes was the third pick of the 1990 PBA draft by Pepsi-Cola but made his mark with the Alaska Milkmen as he won countless titles playing for Tim Cone. He briefly coached the Blue Eaglets and won a title in 1997.  He retired from the PBA in 2001 and is now in Irvine, California, USA working in the Healthcare industry. Alex Araneta was the first player picked in the 1991 PBA Draft (the first Atenean to be picked #1) by Alaska and he played with the Milkmen until 1995 and retired early because of constant knee problems. He then went on to work with the Alaska Milk Corporation for four years and then migrated to Sydney, Australia where he held various executive positions for a number of Australian companies. JV Gayoso was the seventh pick in the same draft Alex went #1. He gained so much popularity in the PBA playing for Ginebra and was dubbed Mr. Adrenalin. He also came out in various movies at the peak of his popularity in the PBA. He then last played with Tanduay in the 2001 season and is now the Coach of MPBL team the Rizal Golden Coolers. Eric Reyes was the sixth player taken in the 1992 draft by Swift. Eric Also played for Mobiline and last played with Alaska in 2002. Just like his batch mates Albert Mendoza and Raymund Morales, they have been part of their family businesses. Nonoy Chuatico was drafted two notches after Eric in the 1992 draft at #8 by Ginebra. He played until 1996 and then joined his brother afterwards in the Insurance industry. Olsen Racela was the last to be drafted in the PBA as the 11^th pick by Coney Island in the 1993 draft. He was traded to San Miguel in 1997 as their lead guard and his game reached epic levels. Olsen is the only one in the team that had two first team mythical selections (2000 & 2001) and three second team mythical selections (1998, 1999, & 2004). He is now one of the assistant Coaches of the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings and head Coach of the FEU Tamaraws. Jet Nieto finished medical school and is now a successful medical doctor.  Haj Jeongco is in the field of banking and finance and is an executive in one of the big banks in our country. Two Blue Eagles are now based in the USA. Mel Basa is in Jackson, New Jersey and is in the field of IT and Business Process outsourcing.  Seph Canlas is an Executive chef in a famous restaurant in Frederick, Maryland. Gene Afable is one of the assistant coaches of the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the Meralco Bolts PBA team. Jojo Habana is a Senior Director of a big international logistics company. Rico Santiago handles technical services for a luxury watch retailer in Canberra, Australia. Danny Francisco went back to basketball but as a commentator in the MBA from 1998 – 2000 and Team Manager of the Cebu Gems. He is now into real estate investments.

Inducted to the ASHOF 2012 - Enrique "Eric" Reyes,
Daniel "Danny" Francisco, Gilbert "Jun" Reyes Jr., Rodericko Cesar "Olsen" Racela

"Excellence in Sports has always been a part of the Ateneo tradition. The Ateneo Sports Hall of fame Inc.'s mission is finding heroes for they embody the very meaning of Magis - aiming for excellence. They serve as an inspiration to young athletes and achievers. Every three years those who embody this Ateneo tradition is honored and recognized!" Twenty-one years after the historic back-to-back title win; members of the 1987- 1988 Blue Eagles were asked to go back to the hill to be recognized as members of the prestigious Ateneo Sports Hall of Fame. The 2009 Inductees were Nonoy Chuatico, Alex Araneta, Jet Nieto and team captain Joseph Canlas. In 2012 the next cycle of inductees were called as Jun Reyes, Eric Reyes, Danny Francisco and Olsen Racela were also included to the Ateneo Sports hall of fame.  Such a fitting recognition to the people who brought back the Glory of Ateneo Basketball.

Yours truly with the 1987-1988 BLUE EAGLES 

The story of the 1987 – 1988 Blue Eagles is a story of redemption. A story on how this  team brought back the once flourishing sports program of the Ateneo that was demoralized when we made the switch from the NCAA to the UAAP. A story of how champions are made and how a champion crowd can help back you up. A story of sacrifice and how a team fought different kinds of adversities that went their way. A story that inspired future generations of Ateneans especially the 2003 Ateneo Blue Eagles whose core came from the champion Blue Eaglets teams. Just like today, these men will always be band of brothers and immortalized by Coach Tab’s mantra – the next man up mentality! One Big Fight!

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS BLOG THIS IS FOR THE ATENEO!!!

 

SOURCES:

Player stories

Newspaper clippings

Manila Standard Archives

Manila Bulletin Archives

Rick Olivares Bleachers Brew

Various Guidon copies

Various Aegis yearbooks

Various Blue Books

and My own notes

Not all pictures are mine

THANKS TO

·        OGIE NARVASA

·        NONOY CHUATICO

·        MEL BASA

·        JET NIETO

·        ERIC REYES

·        ALBERT MENDOZA

·        RANDY SEVILLA

·        OLSEN RACELA

·        DANNY FRANCISCO

·        RICO SANTIAGO

·        CYRIL SORIANO

·        THE 1987-1988 BLUE EAGLES

 

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HAIL MARY FALL FROM GRACE

The Blue Eagles were not favored to repeat again

One by one the dominoes began to fall as the dream of the once favored Ateneo Blue Eagles to secure their third straight UAAP Men’s basketball title came tumbling down. First was the departure of JV Gayoso, although cleared by the Ateneo from any shenanigans, Gayoso did not get back to the Eagles line up again. Second was Jet Nieto, although prior to the season he already said that the 1988 season would be his last and all efforts to lure him back were in vain. The biggest setback came during the summer of 1989 when the Blue Eagles were surprisingly practicing in a gym at the Agrarian Reform. The team was surprised that the parents of Danny Francisco surprisingly arrived at the venue while the team was practicing. Danny’s parents called him then talked to him, afterwards Danny told the team that his parents told him and everyone was in shock.  Apparently, he has developed a sickness diagnosed as aneurysm of the aorta. The collapsed lung the other year was a precursor of something more severe. The actual diagnose of the sickness is Marfan syndrome. At the age of nineteen, Danny Francisco retired from competitive Basketball.  This was something no one saw coming as Danny had great 1988 -89 season where he established himself as one of the best if not the best center in the UAAP. He battled against the giants in the Asian Youth tournament and now the man then known as the next PBA 4 time MVP Ramon Fernandez has hung up his sneakers.

Danny Francisco during the 1989 Asian Youth Championship

Adding more woes to the Blue Eagles was the fact that Alex Araneta had some problems with the minimum units required to play for season 52. Upon knowing that problem from Alex, the Blue Eagles had no choice but to drop Alex from the roster. For the fifth time in five years Ateneo had a new coach as Ogie Narvasa was called in for duty but this time for the Seniors division. With Francisco and Araneta out, the Blue Eagles team became known as the "Dunkin Donuts team" a team without a center! The icing on the cake was that Jun Reyes made it to the RP team and had to do National team duties to compete in the SEA Games.  That means he will miss some games while the National team is in Malaysia. The Blue Eagles campaign to defend their title ended even before it started because the core is gone and whatever magic Coach Ogie has in his hands will be next to impossible to win it all again. That said, favored to win were FEU and La Salle who had 11 holdovers from their team last year. The Blue Eagles fought hard this season and ended up in fourth place behind eventual champion La salle, Runner-up FEU and UE.  The UAAP had gained so much popularity after the Blue Eagle’s first championship and the interest on the league soared when the Eagles met the Archers in the 1988 finals. Looking back, the move to the UAAP is definitely the right decision. Back then it was a leap of faith but because of that move, the Ateneo brought class to the UAAP and that rubbed on to the other schools. The Hail Mary squad’s fall from grace was never expected and no one dreamed that this day will happen. The Ateneo Blue Eagles 1987 – 1988 team’s quest for greatness ended here but their legacy remains in the hearts of every Atenean who supported the team and cheered one big fight!

NEXT BLOG: TWENTY YEARS AFTER

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1988 SECOND SEMESTER

The 1989 RP Youth Team

ASIAN YOUTH 19 AND UNDER TOURNAMENT

The Super Sophomores Danny Francisco and Olsen Racela used the second semester to further hone their skills with one of the best High School coaches in the 1980’s Coach Ato Badolato. Coach Ato Badolato headed the team that represented the Philippines in the Asian Youth 19 and under basketball tournament with the Philippines hosting the games again from January 25 to February . The only holdover from the 1986 Silver medal team was Joselito “Joey” Guanio from the UP maroons. The others cagers that made the line-up were Olsen’s 17and under teammates Zandro “Jun” Limpot and John Edel Cardel both with La Salle and Victor Pablo of FEU. UAAP rising star, Ferdinand “Bong” Ravena of the UE Warriors, High School 7’1 sensation EJ Feihl of UST together with the NCAA stars  Vergel Meneses of JRC, Robert Ruiz of Letran and Dennis Ramirez of San Beda also made the list. Alejandro “Jojo” Lim is the lone provincial player from the University of Visayas. The team beat Singapore, India, and Iran in the eliminations stage then took care of Iran and Saudi Arabia in the quarterfinals but their shocking loss to Japan by two points spelled their doom. That loss led to a semifinals meeting with China that ended their quest for a gold medal. The RP team settled for the bronz by beating Japan in the battle for third. Danny and Olsen made great improvements with Danny battling the best centers of Asia including Ma Jian who he said was strong and had a good perimeter game. Olsen on the other hand held his own against Asia's best. 

 

Just before the 1st semester ended, the Ateneo de Manila issued a memo clearing Jaime Vicente "JV" Gayoso of any charges of game fixing. An adhoc committee by the school cleared Gayoso of any charges that tarnished his name by the rumors that came out after that ill fated loss to the De La Salle University Green Archers in round 1 of the 1988 UAAP Basketball tournament. The memo was signed by University President Fr. Joaquin Bernas S. J who happens to be a lawyer himself. Bernas added "Mr. Gayoso has asked to be excused from the team until the end of the UAAP campaign to avoid unforeseeable friction which might impair the effectiveness of the team in its campaign."

THE NATIONAL STUDENTS INTERCOLLEGIATE

The Ateneo Blue Eagles was invited as a guest team to the National Students Intercollegiate championship and the UAAP champs obliged because the National UAAP was scrapped. Ateneo is in Group A together with Adamson University, Perpetual Help College, Southwestern University and Misamis  Institute of Technology. Group B has defending champion De La Salle University, 1987 titlist San Sebastian College, University of Santo Tomas, Colegio de San Agustin Bacolod, Ramon Magsaysay Memorial College Davao and the University of Baguio.  There was a lot of movement in the Blue Eagles camp as Coach Fritz Gaston has resigned and Coach Chot Reyes took over for the meantime.  At this time three other players left the team for various reasons namely Alex Araneta, Jojo Habana and Rico Santiago. Mel Basa and Gene Afable’s eligilibility were questioned so Ateneo activated rookies Billy del Rosario and Darren Javier to fill the void.

 

The Blue Eagles breezed to the semifinals unscathed after beating Misamis Tech, Adamson, Perpetual Help and Southwestern University in that order to arrange a semifinals showdown with the defending champion La Salle Green Archers. Against the Archers the Blue Eagles showed their mastery over their archrivals by beating them 84 – 72. The defending champs looked like they were about to pull the rug from the Blue Eagles when they went up 66 – 62. That was when Jun Reyes led the Blue Eagles once again for a fiery 22 – 6 wind-up to dethrone the defending champions. Unfortunately, the friendly match turned to an ugly confrontation with 30 seconds left in the game. Green Archer veteran Rafa Dinglasan was called for his fifth foul and rookie Billy Del Rosario extended his hand for a handshake and unknowingly started the melee when he told Dinglasan “better luck next time!” Dinglasan acknowledged the handshake but mistook the remark as an insult and slapped Del Rosario. All hell broke loose as the benches cleared and even the supporters of both crowds mixed it up which needed the help of police to break the melee. The Blue Eagles then marched on to the finals against the unbeaten NCAA champions the San Sebastian Stags.

NATIONAL INTERCOLLEGIATE SEMIS: ATENEO 84 - DLSU 72

ATENEO (84) Nieto 21, Francisco 19, G. Reyes 15, Canlas 14, E. Reyes 10, Mendoza 5, Racela 0, Del Rosario 0,

LA SALLE (72) Sta. Maria 18, Pumaren 13, Bachman 12, Limpot 9, Dinglasan 7, Viaplana 4, Cardel 4, Monasterio 2, Lim 2,

Halftime 42 – all.

The Stags have a score to settle against the Blue Eagles as the recto based squad led by Paul Alvarez lost to the Blue Eagles last year by 32 points in the MMBL. The core of that team is back with NCAA MVP Eugene Quilban leading the Alvarez – less stags.  The Blue Eagles started the game like a team on a mission as they led by nine points 34 – 25 early in the first half. The Stags then regrouped as Melchor Teves, Stevenson Solomon and Saturnino Garrido countered with a 23 – 14 blast to tie the UAAP champs at the end of the first half.  The game was close all through out the second half and in the last one and a half minutes the Stags led the Eagles 90 -88. Jun Reyes scored on a three pointer to give the Blue Eagles the upperhand 91 – 90 and Quilban came back to score and make it 92- 91.  The Stags preserved the lead when they got the ball back with good defense and wasted the time by waiving the fouls that the Blue Eagles made. Solomon eventually scored the last point off a free throw with five seconds left to give the NCAA champions the title.  This is the only title that the Blue Eagles did not win in their two-year rise to the top of collegiate basketball. 

NATIONAL INTERCOLLEGIATE FINALS: SSC 93 – ATENEO 91

SAN SEBASTIAN (93) Quilban 20, Solomon 19, Garrido 17, Bade 9, Teves 9, Delos Reyes 8, Rivera 7, Hatton 2, Castelo 2,

ATENEO (91) G. Reyes 25, Canlas 17, E. Reyes 17, Francisco 16, Nieto 12, Racela 4, Mendoza 5, Halftime 48 - all

NEXT BLOG ENTRY: HAIL MARY FALLFROM GRACE 

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THE BLUE BABBLE BATTALION

This iconic picture has the 1986 BBB going vintage

Rick Olivares wrote extensively about the Blue Babble Battalion from its beginnings up until the current crops of cheerleaders and cheer dancers in his one of a kind article “Harnessing the Thunder.” He mentioned in his blog that the Ateneo cheerleaders were the “Prince of Personality!” In the 30's and all the way to the 70's the most popular student leaders were Cheerleaders. Former Senator Raul Manglapus was the one who led the cheers in the 30's, Former Vice-President Tito Guingona is another one who led the cheers in the 40's while in the 60's Senator Dick Gordon is another one of those great student leaders that led the Ateneo cheers.  In the 1980s, the Prince of Personality were mostly the funniest people you can see on campus and a lot of them became cheerleaders. When the Blue Eagles were, in the NCAA, the Ateneo crowd was there but in the UAAP; it took some time before the community eventually went to the Rizal Memorial Coliseum to watch the games.  In order for that to happen the Blue Babble taught the Ateneo cheers in PE classes and invited the new college students to watch the games. As a freshman back in 1987, many upperclassmen who I knew then were waiting for me to join the tryouts at the Ateneo cafeteria. I am just happy I did not disappoint my seniors and was accepted to what we call the elite Blue Babble Battalion. Since we were only fifteen back then, we needed people to be on the stands to cheer so we started a group that will fill the coliseum every game to cheer their hearts out and they were called the Blue Hecklers. Well the Blue Hecklers were there to cheer and if possible heckle the other team’s players. Most of the Blue Hecklers back then were composed of loyal supporters of the Blue and White who were there to witness their batch win the Juniors title the past four years plus a few other recruits. Therefore, when the Blue Babble Battalion was complete, the Babble President Rey Guarin put together the team that included Randy Soriano, Arnie Bohol, Glenn Pantig, Ago Apilado, Jeffrey Tan, Jed Valenzuela, Blue Festin, Joel Garma, Zaldy Tolentino, Rene Guarin, Neil Bernardo, Jong Castaneda and yours truly. It was a group that people would listen and follow because fun was an important element on how we invited people to the games and how we made people cheer. During the games of the 1987 season, Ateneans either cheered or laughed for there were many sideshows happening in between games.

 

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One of the highlights of that 1987 season was when we went down the hard court during the Ateneo – UP halftime game with our shades on that elicited a loud boo from the seven other member schools watching. To make matters worse we lost that game. The Blue Babble made sure there was a crowd every game and there were cheerleaders leading the cheers during halftime because that time Ateneo was the only school that had cheerleaders.  The Blue Babble Band that time had only one bass drum with former Eaglet Gerry Sison pounding away, two snare drums and a saxophone which was played by Jo Avila. There was never a dull moment when there were games especially when the crowd is thin we would create some antics with Arnie Bohol, Glenn Pantig, Jeff Tan and me at the helm. Our silent cheer, Christmas cheer and DLRT cheers became staples of every game. The hecklers always had a way with the other team’s players. That was why when the Ateneo – UE championship game happened, the hecklers helped out in leading the cheers also because so many people turned up.  During halftime, Senator Raul Manglapus joined the cheerleaders in cheering the Fabilioh that got the crowd going. Sen. Manglapus was joined by former cheerleaders, former Olongapo Mayor and now Senator Dick Gordon and former Congressman Hermie Aquino. The energy of that halftime show transferred to the crowd that cheered “Get that ball” and “One Big Fight” to decibel levels never heard of.  When you ask anyone from the 1987 team one of the reasons the team won, they will say the crowd energized them to fight back. 

Blue Eagle the KING!
from the BBB FB Page

During the 1988 season the De La Salle followed suit by having cheerleaders of their own. They were saying that it was them that came out first with female cheerleaders. That distinction still goes to Ateneo that fielded female cheerleaders in the 1986 Ateneo vs La Salle game when DLSU was not event fielding male cheerleaders. A former member of the Ateneo High School Blue Babble who transferred to La Salle helped start their Pep squad. That was why we had some laughs back when when their cheerleaders were moving like Eagles. It was the same choreography with ateneo cheers. Eventually they fixed it. One thing that made the cheering of both schools exciting were the side shows that go with the usual halftime cheers. During the first round of the Ateneo vs La Salle game, the Blue Babble Battalion came out with a grade 4 student as the centerpiece of their on court performance. Kyle Baizas has three brothers in college and although he was in grade 4 that time he already knew the Ateneo cheers which was quite unheard off back then. Kyle performed and before he went out of the court he was instructed to come out with an arrow and raise it up. Everyone in the coliseum was clapping until he broke the arrow that elicited negative remarks from the green side of the coliseum

In the second round Ateneo vs La Salle game, the Blue Babble Battalion had another epic performance that was waiting to happen. During that halftime presentation, My batchmate Jong Castaneda, who was wearing a bright gren jacket,  went in alone to the middle of the court, faced the DLSU faithfuls and was raising his fist to the DLSU crowd. After getting cheers from the DLSU crowd Jong made a slight bow and then went out. After that scene, the Ateneo band hit the drums with the traditional eight beat and the Blue Babble went in wearing their white pants and white shirts and no Blue Babble Jackets. Then when they were all in position and waiting to start, Jong came in once again but now he was holding all the jackets of the Blue Babble cheerleaders and then positioned himself in front of them and one by one gave the jackets to the Ateneo cheerleaders who were lining up to get their jackets. When that happened the Ateneo crowd went wild in laughter. Then the Blue Babble went on to do their usual cheers and after cheering the last cheer, the Blue Eagle Spelling. Jong went back in and as the Blue Babble was about to exit he approached them one by one and wiped their sweaty faces with the towel he was holding. After wiping all the cheerleaders faces he then faced the Ateneo crowd took off his green jacket, hurled it to the ground and stomped on it. That performance was one of a kind. In the finals, the Blue Babble went on with their usual cheers, invited former movie star Robert Arevalo and former RPN 9 news reporter David Nye and led the Ateneo cheers once again. No more performance. An eagle was once again brought inside the coliseum to lift up the spirits of the Ateneo gallery.  The Blue Babble Battalion once again led the cheers and stymied the predominant La Salle crowd that filled up 60-70% of the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. But like what we always say, we were always outnumbered but never out cheered. The 1980’s cheering only had a couple of instruments and loud cheers of Fabilioh, chants of Ateneo Go and Fight, endless shouts of Get that ball when the opponents are on the offense and one big fight when we score. Those were fun times considering the fact that the Ateneo has finally brought the crowds back to the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. That is definitely the Ateneo way.

NEXT BLOG: THE SECOND SEMESTER

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THE 1988 UAAP CHAMPIONSHIP – 2nd HALF

John Edel Cardel gets the rebound

The second half started the same way the games started with Dindo Pumaren getting the ball, driving to the middle of the paint to score and helped get La Salle back to the game. The Blue Eagles started slowly once again and Pumaren took advantage as he scored nine points for the Grene Archers to inch closer to Blue Eagles 47 – 44. But just as the Archers come closer, 52- 53, the Eagles would counter back and manage to fight back as Jun and Eric Reyes tried to carry the fight once again by scoring in and out. Eric provided the inside presence while Jun Reyes started to find his shot as he canned a three pointer in the face of Jonas Mariano and in the return play, got the rebound and ran coast to coast to score on a fastbreak to give the Eagles breathing room 63 – 57 with six minutes and thirty six seconds remaining.  It was at this point that the De La Salle Green Archers waged their last ditch effort to salvage a win by countering with 9 – 2 attack. This started with a Pumaren triple, two free throws by their one and done player George Peralta, a jumper by Cardel and another two points from Monasterio as the Green Archers seized the upperhand 66 – 65 with four minutes and thirty seconds to go.

 

It's winning time for the Blue Eagles

It was at this point where the champion team showed up and showed how a champion team handles pressure and how a champion team overcomes the adversity.  The experience that Blue Eagles had in their previous years from Juniors champions to last season came to full display as they executed their plays to perfection. After Danny Francisco split his charities to tie the count at 66 – all, the Archers moved the ball around and the ball landed in Monasterio’s hands, considering the fact the scored the go-ahead basket, Monasterio drove hard to the basket. Unfortunately for him, while he was about to drive to the hoop, Seph Canlas positioned himself well and drew the charge from Monasterio. That call was crucial because it was also the fifth foul of Monasterio and he joined George Peralta who have fouled out earlier.  Canlas was awarded two free throws which he calmly sank to give back the lead to the Blue Eagles 68 – 66 with three minutes and forty nine seconds left in the game. Knowing that La Salle would need a basket to tie the count Jet Nieto gave a good  challenge to Pumaren’s shot that rattled off the ring. Danny Francisco collared the rebound and rifled of a pass to a running Jun Reyes and then boom 70 – 66. 

Jun Reyes delivered when it mattered the most

In that play, Reyes started his run when he saw Francisco was about to collar the rebound. Francisco threw the ball like a quarterback and hit Jun Reyes on the run as he was accelerating to the frontcourt and Dindo Pumaren was all gassed up and didn’t even challenge and then boom, another field goal and the Blue Eagles were up by four. In the next play Cardel drove to the hoop, attracted the defense and dropped off to Joey Sta. Maria who went straight to the basket for the two points and in the process got fouled by Eric Reyes.  The green side of the coliseum erupted again as Sta. Maria was given a chance to bring the Archers to just one point. Just like a bad nightmare that kept on haunting them, the Archers Achilles heel in this game were their free throws and the cool Joey Sta. Maria missed his bonus shot again.  Eric Reyes got the rebound, gave it to Jun Reyes who saw that the Archers have not yet got down on defense and then made a forward pass to Joseph Canlas who was all alone on the right wing. Just two plays before Canlas has just made two free throws and was feeling good so he let fly  a jumper that swished the net to give the Blue Eagles a four-point lead again 72 - 68. The next play was the defining moment of the game. Knowing that the Archers will go to Sta. Maria once again whose strong move to the basket got Eric Reyes’ fourth foul, Jun Reyes just stayed put. 

Danny Francisco had 14 points and pulled down 25 rebounds

In the next play, the archers moved the ball and as the Blue Eagles expected the ball went to Sta. Maria on the low post. After receiving the ball, Sta. Maria faced the basket, attacked the paint and then dribbled to the left to make his patented spin move   – a move he made a couple of plays ago as he eluded Eric Reyes for a basket. After establishing his position, Joey spun to his left side and as he was about to complete his spin he lost the ball. Jun Reyes was waiting for him to make his move and suddenly came out of his blind side,  swiped the ball away, and like a thief running from the police darted to the Ateneo frontcourt to score another fastbreak and give the Blue Eagles a six point lead 74 – 68 with two minutes and thirty three seconds left.  That basket sent the Ateneo gallery to a roar and the cheers of “One Big Fight” became louder and louder. With two minutes and thirty-three seconds remaining and a six-point lead, all the Eagles have to do now is to play good defense to win the game. Coach Fritz Gaston is a master of defensive tactics. In this game, he put multiple guys to guard Dindo Pumaren. Most of the time he alternated Joseph Canlas and Jet Nieto on him, in the first half he even inserted Raymund Morales to buy some time for the other defenders. Jet Nieto is taller, bigger and tougher than him and most of the time Pumaren had to hurry his shots because he seems distracted shooting on someone taller than him. At oftentimes when Nieto would go under the pick Pumaren would get open and take advantage of it as seen in one of Pumaren’s three point shots. But during crunch time, Jet Nieto did not even try to attempt a shot, he reserved all his energy to stopping Dindo Pumaren because as he said, you stop Dindo you stop a big chunk of their offense. Nieto was right, after calling a timeout, the Archers went to Pumaren and Nieto challenged his shot that resulted in an air-ball that visibly irked Pumaren. 

Jet Nieto's defense on Pumaren was a big factor

The next Ateneo offensive misfired and then La salle went on a fastbreak play as  the ball found its way to Pumaren again. As Dindo got to the paint two defenders met him and Nieto who was following him in transition tapped the ball. After that ball tap Pumaren regained control of the ball, got off balance that made him dribble the ball with both hands and was called for a double dribble violation. The Green Archers were beginning to be desperate at this time, unfortunately for them they failed to capitalize on the miscues of the Blue Eagles in the last minute and thirty-two seconds. Danny Francisco was on the line after getting a foul from Dickie Bachman. Danny missed his two free throws and when the Archers got the ball back Jonas Mariano suddenly a let go of a hurried three point shot that missed its mark. As the Blue Eagles prepare for another offensive foray Dindo Pumaren fouled Seph Canlas who then missed the front end of a one and one. Richard del Rosario got the rebound and located Dindo Pumaren right away who raced to their frontcourt and fired a desperation three that looked so desperate it missed the mark. Luckily, Dindo followed the path of the ball that bounced to him and was fouled on the rebound play. Pumaren, who missed four free throws in the first half, scored on the two gift shots to cut the Ateneo lead to four 70 – 74 with 48 seconds left in the game.  

Banners came out saying "Look who's #1"

The Archers mathematically still had a chance in this game but poor decision-making really doused their chances of winning.  After Dindo’s second free throw the Archers made a full court press to get the ball back. The Eagles chopped some time off the clock before getting fouled and waived the foul shots to be able to milk the clock again with 39.6 seconds left in the game. As the Eagles ran the clock down Jonas Mariano got hold of a tapped ball and sent a forward pass to Lincoln Lim who went up for a lay-up but was blocked by Eric Reyes.  Joseph Canlas got the ball, passed it to Jun Reyes and he found Danny Francisco darting to the basket, hit Danny with a pass and Danny dunked the ball. The referees called a travelling infraction on Francisco which we think was a bad call but Danny just laughed that off. 

Team Captain Joseph Canlas had an impressive game

The Archers then got the ball out and as Pumaren passed the midcourt line Nieto was already positioned to meet him way before the three point area. Pumaren heaved another three pointer from way out that Nieto again contested and the result was another miss by Pumaren.  Danny Francisco grabbed the rebound number 25 for the day and was fouled with 2.5 seconds left. Nieto’s no nonsense defense on Pumaren was so exceptional that Dindo missed his last six field goals in the last six minutes of the game. That's zero out of six in the last six!  Francisco then canned the two free throws and everyone raised their fists to the Ateneo gallery who were holding banners of “Look who’s #1!” as the Blue Eagles beat the La Salle Green Archers 76 – 70 to win their second consecutive UAAP Men’s Basketball title. Again the Ateneo Blue Eagles have proven that when the stakes are harder, the Blue Eagles  fly higher!

 

THE 1988 UAAP MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONS - THE ATENEO BLUE EAGLES

THE LEGACY

This season was filled with so many controversies, struggles and difficulty.  First was the loss to DLSU in the first round. But like what the players said then, that loss helped them become united and overcome the problems that came their way. Next was their top scorer leaving the team that was sad to note but the team focused more on what they can control and not what they cannot. This debacle helped the Blue Eagles work harder in their practices, re-focus and cover up one’s absence. Third was the game against UP that was filled with controversy but eventually after a few weeks was settled. Lastly Jun Reyes getting sick before the game against DLSU.  When Jun went back to the bench he was given aid through an oxygen tank. He was asked to inhale the oxygen to keep him fresh through the game. Just like what a lot of motivators share to their teams to motivate them – “There is no problem, just opportunities!” This team, the 1988 Ateneo Blue Eagles rose above all those problems which became opportunities for each and every one to shine and reason behind it is simple – next man up!

 

NEXT BLOG: THE BLUE BABBLE BATTALION

THE 1988 UAAP CHAMPIONSHIP - ATENEO vs. LA SALLE

October 7, 1988, unlike the previous year, this time the team from Taft occupied more than 60% of the Rizal Memorial Coliseum but the Ateneo supporters were ready to go to war since only a barbed wire separated the green supporters from the blue believers.  Both teams came prepared with DLSU shirts with designs of “Blue Eggless – Bakling!” while the Ateneans have shirts that said “If its green flush it!” !” If there was much animosity from the crowd the players are also into it. During one of the practices of the DLSU team at the Rizal Coliseum, the Blue Eagles came early and went inside the coliseum that surprised the practicing Green Archers team. The team from taft was supposed to practice from 11am to 1pm while the Blue Eagles were from 1 pm to 3pm but Coach Fritz instructed his boys to enter the venue at 12:30 pm that prompted Coach Derrick Pumaren to stop practicing their plays and instructed his boys to go about their shooting drills instead. This irked the Lasallian team and no one was speaking to each other even though most of the players on both sides have been playing with each other since high school. 

The Blue Eagles prepared well this time and all them stayed at the Pollock Center the whole week to fend away distractions that might come. The time at Pollock Center gave them time to relax and more importantly bond together. This also gave them an opportunity to study the previously played game against the Green Archers, study the tape and map out a plan on how to win the all important championship game. The last distraction that came was that Jun Reyes got sick just before game day arrived but as a true battle tested veteran, Jun shrugged off his battle with flu and kept himself fresh before the game started.

 

Player points averages

When game time arrived the starting five of both teams were called out!

ATENEO: Jun Reyes, Mel Basa, Joseph Canlas, Eric Reyes, Danny Francisco

DE LA SALLE: Dindo Pumaren, Lincoln Lim, Teddy Monasterio, Joey Sta. Maria, Dickie Bachman.  

At the center of the court Danny Francisco and Dickie Bachmann go against each other for the jumpball that went La salle’s way as Dindo Pumaren drew first blood with a drive to the middle of their goal. Both teams battled toe to toe until Mel Basa tied the score 8 – all off a Dickie Bachmann foul. Then the Green Archers went to work as their defense made the Blue Eagles miss shots they normally make and forced them to four turnovers. The Archers then punctured the hoops with John Edel Cardel & Bachman leading the way to detonate a 13 – 3 bomb that gave the green team a ten point lead 21 – 11 with nine minutes and forty eight seconds left in the half.  After Dindo Pumaren split his charities to give the Archers their biggest lead, the Blue Eagles then regrouped and staged another amazing comeback. The Hail Mary squad choked the Green Archers on defense while Jun Reyes combined with Alex Araneta to unleash a 12 – 1 run to take the lead 23 – 22 with seven minutes and twenty seconds still remaining. When the momentum shifted to the blue side of the court the Blue Eagles  offense went to overdrive and this time Reyes combined with Danny Francisco to finish the half ahead by nine 42 – 33.  The Green Archers began to miss their shots and free throws that enabled the Blue Eagles to breakaway as the men in taft shot 5 out 15 (33.33%) free throws which was a far cry from the Ateneo’s 14 of 20 (70%).  Jun Reyes and Danny Francisco scored ten points apiece while Dindo Pumaren (who missed four free throws) had eight points. The Blue Eagles have taken the half and has just one more half to play well to enable them to snare the first back-to-back Men’s basketball championship in the UAAP. 

NEXT BLOG ENTRY:  -THE 1988 UAAP CHAMPIONSHIP – 2^nd HALF

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THE 1988 UAAP SEASON – SECOND ROUND

LIFE GOES ON – THE SECOND ROUND

After much controversy on the Gayoso issue, the Blue Eagles continued the second round without their top scorer as JV skipped practices and eventually the rest of the season. What does a team do when your top scorer leaves – next man up. The next game of the Blue Eagles were the hot and cold UST Glowing Goldies and the last time these two teams met Gayoso burned them with 21 points. This time, its Mel Basa 's turn on the spotlight as he showcased his scoring abilities by netting 17 points plus the hustle he brought to the game as he combined with Jun Reyes who got 18 points himself. The result was an 86 – 75 win for the Blue Eagles that were beginning to pick up the pieces after a humiliating loss to their arch-nemesis in their previous game. The Taft based archers beat NU 76 – 65 and are tied with the Blue Eagles on top of the standings with similar 7 – 1 win loss cards. As life went on again, the Blue Eagles face the FEU Tamaraws who Gayoso previously torched with 25 points. As the men in Blue and White would say “No Gayoso, No Problem!” Jun Reyes made a basketball clinic on how a scoring point guard should be as he ran rings around the Tamaraws and clawed his way to score 32 points. In their previous game the Eagles won 106 – 97 with Gayoso, this time it was 108 – 94 without him.  Next man up – the Ateneo Blue Eagles just simply played as a well-oiled machine and no matter who they faced brought the best out of them as Joseph Canlas added 17 points, Jet Nieto scored 14 points, Danny Francisco had 12 points, Eric Reyes added 11 markers to underscore the balanced scoring once again of the men in blue.  The Eagles built their lead by outscoring the Tamaraws 17 – 2 that gave them a 51- 33 lead from a slim 34 – 31 margin. After the Eagles ended the half up by sixteen points, 53 – 37, the tamaraws could not get closer than 13 points as the Blue Eagles stamped their mastery over the team from Morayta for the second straight season. What made the win more satisfying was the upsets by UST over La Salle and the win of Adamson over UP. This gave the Blue Eagles an 8 – 1 slate and has a one game lead over the Archers (7- 2) and two games over UP 6 -3 who they will face next.

GAME 8: ATENEO vs UST 86-75

DLSU 76-NU 65, FEU 99- AdU 87,  UP 111-UE 102

ATENEO (86)  G. Reyes 18, Basa 17, E. Reyes 12, Francisco 8, Canlas 8, Mendoza 6, Nieto 5, Afable 4, Araneta 4, , Racela 2, Habana 2

UST (75) Tomacruz 18, Babilonia 15, Sichon 10, Jose 9, Latoreno 7, Mercadillo 6, Dela Cruz 5, Salvador 5, HT 40-44

ADMU, DLSU 7-1, UP 6-2, AdU FEU 4-4, UE 2-6, UST, NU 1-7,

GAME 9: ATENEO vs FEU 108-94

AdU 101 –UP 90,   UST 75-DLSU 70,  93 UE 118-NU 78

ATENEO (108)  G. Reyes 32, Canlas 17, Nieto 14, Francisco 12, E. Reyes 11, Araneta 9, Basa 7, Afable 2, Racela 2, Mendoza 2, Morales 0,

FEU (94) Postanes 23, Latoreno 22, Pablo 15, de Cruz 13, Tiu 10, Codinera 5, Guzman 4, Calungcauin 0, Gaspas 0, Burden 0, HT 53-37

ADMU(8-1) DLSU(7-2) UP(6-3) AdU (5-4 )FEU (4-5)UE(3-6),UST(2-7) NU(1-8)

MORE TROUBLE AT THE EAGLE’S NEST

After their textbook win over the hapless FEU Tamaraws, the Blue Eagles were back on track and looked like they have found a way to offset the loss of their star forward.  Next on the list are the UP Maroons, a team the Eagles blasted by 30 points in the first round looked like easy pickings for the men in blue. As the game started it was evident that the team the Eagles beat in the first round is not the same team they are facing as the Maroons who were coming from a loss against the Adamson Falcons tightened their screws and played physical all the way. This time Benjie Paras was his usual unstoppable self, Ramil Cruz their defensive anchor came out sharp while Joey Guanio and rookie Sammy Marata where both firing accurately.  With things going physical the Blue Eagles bled for their points and trailed the Maroons 28 – 40 after twenty minutes of action. To make matters worse Danny Francisco twisted his ankle and was taken out of the game. In the second half the Maroons sustained their physical defense and that defense kept the Blue Eagles from nailing easy baskets that resulted in the UP team countering every offensive attack that the Ateneans made. Coach Fritz Gaston asked Danny if he can still play and Danny said YES he was good to go!  With his ankle swollen and the leukoplast plaster taped directly to his skin Danny managed to get back but was taken out again because the other team got him in the ankle again.  All the physicality of the game took its toll because in the last 1:21 of the game with the Maroons comfortably ahead 81 – 69 when Joseph Canlas was called for a tripping foul on Sammy Marata that led to a fight between the two players.  The fight almost escalated into a free for all and while both teams were about to engage someone from the stands fired a gun. Because of that the Blue Eagles were told to go back to their dug out as their officials wanted to protect their players from any harm since the crowd watching the game was also about to engage. Coach Fritz Gaston sent word that the Blue Eagles will not continue the game and will concede to the Maroons and absorb their second loss of the season.  After the game word got out of what happened and there were speculations that the act of not continuing the game is technically a walk out and the penalty is a suspension for one year.  It was also mentioned that a suspension could materialize if the UAAP board will invoke rule #43 of the league constitution. Rule 43 states that “Any team or athlete who walks out or refuses to play for the duration of a UAAP athletic competition in that particular sport may be suspended for as long as one year in the UAAP sponsored athletic meet as may be determined by the athletic board."  The board debated on this and then commissioner Romy Fernandez said that with what happened in that game, was a fight and a gun being fired caused the Ateneo team to discontinue and concede. Fernandez proposed that Ateneo be credited with a defeat and not a forfeiture.

GAME 10: ATENEO vs UP 83-69 

DLSU 100-UE 94, FEU 99-UST 82, AdU 128-NU 91

UP (83) Paras 25, Cruz 20, Guanio 14, Marata 13, Mendoza 5, Vergara 2, Manlulo 2, Dy-Reyes 2, HT 40-28

ATENEO (69) E. Reyes 21, Canlas 15, G. Reyes 10, Francisco 10, Nieto 8, Racela 6, Mendoza 5, Araneta 2, Morales 2, Afable 0, Basa 0,

ADMU, DLSU (8-2), UP (7-3), AdU (6-4 ), FEU (5-5),UE(3-7),UST(2-8) NU(1-9)

THE REDEEM TEAM

As the board debated on the issue of the forfeiture, the Blue Eagles went back to business and faced an NU Bulldogs team minus Joseph Canlas who was serving his one game suspension after being thrown out in the game against UP. The Blue Eagles wasted no time and dispatched the Bulldogs 91- 72 with Alex Araneta as the top scorer with 21 points. Then the Blue Eagles escaped another close game against the UE warriors 81 – 78 with Eric Reyes providing the muscle by scoring 23 points. After that win, the Blue Eagles had some sigh of relief as the UAAP board met and reversed their earlier decision that the Eagles forfeited their games against the UP Maroons. Acting on the appeal of Coach Fritz Gaston, the reversal gave the Blue Eagles equal footing with the De La salle Green Archers who had 10 wins and 2 losses. The news gave the Hail Mary squad something to be happy and then they pummeled the giant killing Adamson Falcons with Danny Francisco scoring 22 points and Joseph Canlas adding 21 of his own in a masterful 90 – 73 win. La Salle ended the day by beating UP that ousted the Maroons from the finals picture. That win meant that the Ateneo Blue Eagles and the De La Salle Green Archers will meet in the finals of the 1988 UAAP Men’s Basketball Championship. With one more game left in the elimination round, Ateneo and La Salle  have similar 11 – 2 win loss cards and that means the last game of the eliminations between these two teams will determine what team will be twice to beat in the finals.  To others its just like having a best of three series in which the first to win two games will be declared champions.

GAME 11: ATENEO vs NU 91-77

UP 99-UST 77 DLSU 93 -FEU 90  UE 94- ADU 90

ATENEO (91) Araneta 21, Nieto 12, E. Reyes 12, Basa 9, G. Reyes 8, Afable 6,  Mendoza  6, Racela 6, Habana 5 , Santiago 2, Francisco  2, Morales 0, 

NU (72) Bautista Rey 27, Artificio 15, Edades 8, Morales 7, Wilson 7, Lascano 4, Bolado 4, Ballesteros 3. Dikono 2, Balotro 9,  HALFTIME:  45-39

ADMU, DLSU (9-2)  UP (8-3) AdU (6-5 )FEU (5-6)UE(4-7),UST(2-9) NU(1-10)

GAME 12: ATENEO vs UE 81-78 (NO BOXSCORES AVAILABLE)

GAME 13: ATENEO 90 - ADAMSON 73   

FEU 122-NU 112,  DLSU 83- UP 79, UE 94- UST 92-

ATENEO (90) Francisco 22, Canlas 21, Nieto 17, E. Reyes 12, Racela 6, Mendoza 5, Araneta 4,  Basa 3, Afable 0, Santiago 0

ADAMSON(81) Garcia 34, Orillosa 20, Yao 6, Francisco 4, Doromal 4, Cruz 3 Valdez 2, Ablaza  0, Banez 0,  Naluz 0,

HALFTIME:  46-all

ADMU, DLSU (11-2), UP (9-4), AdU (6-7 ), FEU (5-8), UE(5-8), UST(2-9), NU(1-10)

GLORY ROAD: THE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW 2.0

We have mentioned it before, that Coach Fritz Gaston was ahead of this time. In their match against the Green Archers game time will be at 12:00 noon at the Rizal memorial coliseum. In order to simulate the game the Eagles added additional practice at 12:00 noon. At the same time during the practice Coach Fritz asked that loud speakers and music be added to the Loyola Center to somewhat accustom the players to playing in a loud area. Since their first round loss, the Blue Eagles were aching to get back to the court to avenge their only loss to the Archers in the UAAP and this time they were ready.

 

Danny Francisco had 18 points and tons of rebounds

When game day arrived, the Ateneo crowd looked like it was going to the beach or pool party as they got ready to brave the heat of the oven hot Rizal Memorial coliseum that was occupied by a predominant La Salle crowd. But like in previous encounters, the Blue Babble battalion were outnumbered but never outcheered. Again, winner of this final elimination round affair will get the twice to beat advantage in the finals. Tip off came at 12:00 noon and everyone in the venue was cheering their hearts out with the blue side was chanting their “One Big Fight” and “Get that ball” cheers while the green side were answering their “D-L-S-U” and “Go La Salle” cheers that energized the players of both schools. Like in the first game the DLSU Green Archers started strong but Ateneo was just a stone’s throw away and did not give out a big lead to La Salle like in their first round encounter as La Salle took the first half 38 – 36.  The Green Archers surged ahead again at the start of the second half to take a 50 – 42 lead and was threatening to pull away. As the Green Archers surged ahead Jun Reyes, Eric Reyes and Seph Canlas helped the Blue Eagles to get back by conspiring on a 21 – 12 run that put the Blue Eagles ahead for the first time at 63- 62. From that point on both teams would battle on equal ground until Dindo Pumaren scored his final free throws in the last 25 seconds to put the Green Archers ahead 72 – 71. In the next play Jun Reyes milked the clock and in the last 8 seconds attacked the basket. As Jun drove to the right side of the goal he was met by three La Salle defenders and only God knows how he squeezed himself through those three defenders and how he eluded them since they all ganged up on him. All we saw was that the ball went through the goal, then the swish, then the roar of approval from the Blue Eagle gallery.  Dindo Pumaren lost the ball in the return play as the Blue Eagles swarming defense forced the King Archer to a turnover and gave the team from Katipunan a hard earned 73-72 win and the twice to beat advantage.

GAME 14: vs DLSU 73-72

ATENEO (73) G. Reyes 20, Francisco 18, Canlas 10, E. Reyes 10, Nieto 8,  Araneta 4, Basa 3, Racela 0, , Mendoza 0,

LA SALLE (72) PUmaren 34, Bachman 10, Lim 8, Peralta 6, sta. Maria 6, Cardel 3, Monasterio 3, Viaplana 2, Del, Rosario 0,

halftime 36-38

Ateneans celebrate after Jun Reyes' miracle shot

NEXT BLOG: THE 1988 UAAP CHAMPIONSHIP

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