Bonfire 2010

The Ateneo de Manila University community celebrated for the third straight year their third UAAP Men's title in grand fashion. The Ateneo held a bonfire and a party to celebrate the victory of its teams that has won championships for the first semester. Leading the way is the three-peat feat of the Ateneo Blue Eagles. The first team that was called on stage was the Ateneo Grade School Small Basketeers Basketball team. The team is coached by PJ Navarro and is on its fourth straight championship. Coach PJ invited everyone to join them defend their title in the National Finals come in Cebu come the third week of November.

Another team that won another basketball championship is the Ateneo Grade School PRADA midgets basketball team. Headed by veteran coach Jun Bautista who has been coaching the team for the past 27 years together with assistant coach Omar Ajun who is also a graduate of coach Bautista's program. Leading the team who won by 20 points against San Beda was last year's SBP MVP Michael Nieto and his twin brother Matthew and Martin Mendoza. As Nieto would put it "We are happy with this title which proves we are the best in our batch!" Hope to see them don the Eaglets uniform two years from now.

Another team that was given the same warm treatment by the Ateneo loyalists was the Ateneo High School swimming team. This is the sixth straight year that the Ateneo High School swimming team has brought home the bacon. I remember when I was in High school until the six peat happened, the AHS swim team would win titles year in and year out, and would lose for not more than two years. They would recover easily.

Another team that was simply amazing is the Ateneo Blue Eaglets which won its third straight title. The Blue Eaglets is led by the phenom Kiefer Ravena who in his four years in High school has been in four UAAP finals and led this team to its third title. Together with Von Pessumal who flew with Kiefer to Yemen to join the 18 and under national team which placed 5th. This is the highest place the team has gotten in 20 years. Kiefer led the win against Japan by scoring 37 points and was voted in the All-Asia mythical 5. The Blue Eagles are hopeful that Ravena would stay in the country to play for them. The only stumbling block are the NCAA recruiters from abroad.

Chucky Dumrique, another vital cog in the team's three year romp also bade the Ateneo goodbye since he will be joining his family abroad after graduation. It was a tough decision to stay and his awesome performance in game 3 of the finals all than made up for his sacrifices. Besides Dumrique, Pessumal and Ravena, Paolo Romero the big man in the middle will also enter college next year. Manning the middle next year will be Jay Javelosa and another prized rookie Chris Porter. Junior guard Lambert Tenorio will most likely lead the guards next year. It is quite exciting to see the development of Javelosa who was a part of the 2007 SBP team and also played guard. With his height he can be a big small forward in the Juniors, shades of Wesley Gonzales.

Coach Jamike Jarin also spoke about his team. Jarin will be leaving the High School basketball program but will still be an assistant in the Seniors team. His replacement has not yet been named. In leaving the Eaglets, Jarin has captured 8 titles and has a bounty of players who are now successful in life. As former Blue Eagle and Eaglet Macky Escalona put it, the goal set by the Blue Eaglets by then HS Principal Fr. Carmelo Caluag, is for the Blue Eaglets to be good players, good athletes, good students and good persons in life. That alone clearly defines how the Ateneo runs it students athletes programs. Congratulations to all the teams and we hope you do it again next year.