In 1978, the Ateneo de Manila University found a new league, the
University Athletic Association of the Philippines and the Blue Eagles became
the seventh team of the UAAP joining the Adamson Falcons, FEU Tamaraws, NU
Bulldogs, University of the East Warriors, and University of the Philippines Maroons. Looking at the other side of the coin, the
UAAP was also the home to many basketball stars in our country and the
competition is almost the same with the NCAA. In fact, some players tapped for
the Philippine team came from the UAAP namely Robert Jaworski and Jimmy Mariano
of University of the East, Bogs Adornado and Danny Florencio of UST and a lot
more. Season 41 of the UAAP had three teams favored that were seen to fight it
out as defending champion Adamson University, the UE Warriors and FEU Tamaraws.
Adamson still had Hector Calma; the UE Red Warriors had Rudy Distrito and
Derrick Pumaren while FEU had Bay Cristobal and Rey Lazaro.
The Blue Eagles were a bunch of freshmen and Sophomores led by Ogie and
Rayboy Narvasa, Danny Daez, Diqui Eustaquio, Marco Lorenzo, Fred Ortiz, Edgar
Jayme, Kenneth Wendling and Edgardo Puyat to name a few. Elevated from the juniors ranks as the team's head coach is former
Blue Eagle Dodie Agacoili who was at the helm in giving the Ateneo juniors NCAA
titles. A new league and a new team with
a lot of first timers but despite their lack of experience, the Blue Eagles
played a decent season winning half and losing half of their games. The
Warriors eventually unseated the Falcons in the finals played at the Loyola
center. One big difference of the UAAP
and the NCAA is that the crowds that flock the UAAP are usually there only
during the opening ceremonies and the finals. In the other games, no one watched the UAAP
including the Ateneo games. The NCAA had far more activities in the stands
since ever team has a band, cheerleaders and school cheers. In the UAAP, they
had guitars attached to loud speakers and they were playing what people termed
then as jukebox hits. The transfer to
the UAAP seemed like a death sentence back then that got the Ateneo community
demoralized and it seemed like the curse of the closed-door game in every UAAP
game.
1978 UAAP Champions - UE Warriors
The 1979 – 1980 season saw the lowest of lows for the Ateneo basketball
program. First, the core of the team did not even come back and the Blue Eagles
barely had a team. It was in this season
where the Blue Eagles lost all of their games and went zero – 12 while the FEU
Tamaraws won their first of three consecutive titles. If the transfer to
the UAAP demoralized the Ateneo community, this season kicked them further down
the hole where they got themselves in. Imagine,
one season you were a bad call away from the NCAA title then two seasons after
you are at the bottom of “the other league!” The whole Ateneo college community
cannot get over the demoralization that besieged them. Like they say, no one
watches the games if you always lose. Season 42 of the UAAP was like a long hot
summer that just passed by with everyone minding their own business and no one
talking about the basketball team.
FEU wins UAAP title in 1979
The
following season, the 1980 – 81 season, Chito Narvasa was appointed head coach and he
immediately sought the help of his two brothers to give it one more try and
Ogie and Rayboy obliged to play their last year in college. The team is new and this time some of the new
ones were not even there when the Blue Eagles were playing in the NCAA. On the
other side of the fence, while the Blue Eagles were busy staying alive in their
new league, the melee at RMC was the talk of the town. Violence once again
plagued the NCAA which makes one say that the move to the UAAP was the correct decision. Ateneans were slowly healing and
ready to move on from the switch to the UAAP.
The Blue Eagles improved form a winless season to a 5 – 7 slate. Since
there was uncertainty in the NCAA the popularity of the once glamour league was
waning because of another controversy concerning violence once again.
FEU does it again by sweeping the UAAP 12 - 0
CLICK NEXT BLOG ENTRY: NEW HOPE:Rising from the Ashes 1983 - 1984
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