THE 1987 UAAP CHAMPIONSHIP – 2ND HALF

Guard play Jun Reyes vs. Boysie Zamar

The second half started with a three-point play by Jojo Mariquit for the Warriors to move up by sixteen, 54 – 38. This time the Blue Eagles tried to go inside as Jun Reyes orchestrated drive and drop plays that made Eric Reyes puncture the hole and score inside the paint which was non-existent in the first half. The Warriors offense on the other hand flourished even though Jerry Codinera was still riding the bench. Mariquit could not be stopped inside, Banares and Villarias were nailing countless perimeter shots and even back-up point guard Restituto Ella was humming by adding six points with his own jumpers.  To make matters worse for the Blue Eagles Jerry Codinera checked back in with 12 minutes left to finish the job as he scored four straight points and looked unstoppable. Since Nonoy Chuatico and JV Gayoso were bleeding for their points to be able to contribute to the Eagles offense, Eric Reyes carried the load for the Blue Eagles as he scored 14 points in the first nine minutes of the second half. The warriors then capitalized on this again by erecting a commanding 83 – 63 twenty point lead with 11 minutes remaining - their biggest lead of the game.  Since the Warriors came prepared for the Blue Eagles first five, Ateneo made one final adjustment – next man up.

Nieto for three

THE RALLY

The next ten and a half minutes saw the Blue Eagles finally awake from their slumber and showed why they are called the Hail Mary squad. After Jerry Codinera’s turnover, Jun Reyes darted to the frontcourt and rifled a pass to Jet Nieto on the right wing who drilled a three pointer 66 – 83 that made the Ateneo Gallery erupt with cheers of “One Big Fight.” When the Warriors got the ball Ella missed a jumper, Eric Reyes got the ball then gave it to Jun Reyes whose speed enabled him to be at the paint in a single bound and sank a layup with a foul from Vilmer Banares – and one play 69 – 83 then we were down fourteen.  In the next play the ball went to Vilmer Banares and this time he missed his jumper and Jun Reyes got the ball and was about to replicate the previous play but was  fouled in the act of shooting, the result two free throws made 71 – 83 and we were down twelve. With the momentum now on the side of the Blue Eagles with eight straight points, the Warriors went to their big man as Jerry Codinera scored inside the paint to give the Warriors more leeway 85 – 71 with eight minutes left. The next play had the Blue Eagles miss, while Eric Reyes blocked David Zamar’s shot. Jun Reyes once again attacked the paint and this time dished it off to Eric Reyes who drilled in another two points 73 – 85 for the Blue Eagles. As the Eagles transition to defense the Ateneo gallery’s cheers of “Get that Ball” became louder and louder that made the Rizal Memorial Coliseum seem like there was an earthquake inside the Coliseum. Although Codinera scored, this did not dampen Blue Eagle’s spirits because after another UE turnover, they came out with an executed play that saw Jet Nieto sink his second three pointer from the same spot he shot his first to make the score 76 – 85, the first time the Blue Eagles were down single digits. This time the Blue Eagles were ready for Codinera as Alex Araneta bodied him up that forced him to drive and try a hook shot that failed and Alex himself skied high to get the rebound. As Jun Reyes came down he gave Nieto another pass at his sweet spot that made two Warriors react to cover him that made Alex Araneta free at the bottom of the basket. Nieto got the pass to Alex then Boom Araneta scores and brings down the lead to seven 78 – 85! That field goal of Alex almost brought the house down as the cheers kept getting stronger. In the next play Bartolome was whistled for an offensive foul and the response was a baseline jumper by Nieto 80 – 85, five points down. 

Alex Araneta played the game of his life

Then the Warriors tried doing a drive and drop play that resulted in Jerry Codinera being whistled for a travelling violation that cost them an Alex Araneta free throw in the ensuing play 81 – 85 down to four.  As the Warriors go on their next offensive the cheers of “Get that ball”  became much more louder. In the next play Jet Nieto fouled David Zamar who was gifted with two free throws. While Zamar was on the line, the crowd’s constant distraction tactics probably worked as the once cool Zamar missed both free throws. Jun Reyes flagged the rebound from the missed free throw and threw a cross court pass to Nonoy Chuatico who scored on a lay-up that cut the lead to two 83- 85.  After that both team’s defense became more tight that resulted in botched plays and luckily Eric Reyes ended up getting fouled by Zamar and Eric canned the two free throws that finally tied the score 85 – all.  The chants have reached fever pitch as the Blue Eagles finally equalized and the Warriors are feeling the pressure.

Eric Reyes was a solid force inside

THE TAKEOVER

The next Warrior to feel the pressure was Vilmer Banares who missed the front end of a one and one while Vernie Villarias sank one of two free throws to give the Warriors an 86 – 85 lead. As Villarias missed his second free throw Jun Reyes got the rebound, dribbled to the mid-court , was met by two defenders and passed the ball to Jet Nieto who darted to the middle of the frontcourt, drove to the hoop and scored to give the Blue Eagles the lead 87 – 86 with more than three minutes left in the game. The Rizal Coliseum almost exploded with that basket from Nieto and the cheers of "Get that Ball" rattled the Warriors more because they have never experienced something like this. First the cheers were loud, then it got louder and then much more louder and by this time the cheers were getting louder than much louder! When the Warriors got the ball back Barile was whistled with an illegal pick. That offensive foul made UE coach Roehl Nadurata blow his top that resulted in a technical foul given by referees Rado Mercado that meant free throws and ball possession for the Ateneo. Jun Reyes sank one of two free throws and scored on a another jumper after he got free when Zamar gambled for the steal and the Blue Eagles surged ahead 90 – 86 with 3:03 left. After that play the last three minutes became a battle of who had the steadier free throw shooters. Banares then missed another field goal attempt and Jun Reyes missed his layup and Codinera got fouled on the rebound. As the Ateneo crowd got wilder in their distraction tactics, the once steady Jerry Codinera missed the front end of a one and one. After botched offensives by both teams Jun Reyes soared high to get the rebound off a Villarias miss and was fouled by Hojilla – easy two points for jun and the Blue Eagles were up six 92 – 86.  As the Warriors came back to retaliate Villarias got fouled by Chuatico and was given a one and one. This time the Warriors got lucky because as Eric Reyes was fighting for possession for the ball on the front end of Villarias’ free throws, he was whistled for a foul on Barile. Villarias then canned his last free throw and Barile was given two more that he eventually sank that got the Warriors closer 90 – 92.  As the ball went back to the Eagles Jun Reyes drove to the hoop and passed the ball to Nonoy Chuatico who missed on a drive. The Warriors got the ball and rifled a pass to Villarias who was ready to score on a fastbreak but got sidelined when Jun Reyes suddenly came out to tap the ball.  The Recto based squad had one lucky break as Jun Reyes fouled former Juniors MVP Modesto Hojilla who was taking a shot from the three point area. Hojilla was given three free throws but unfortunately missed the first, luckily he got the second to go in and canned the third one that tied the score 92- all with 55 seconds left.  Jun Reyes then tried to milk the clock down and when he was about to drive to the hoop, the ball hit his foot and the Eagles had a turnover.

Jun Reyes had 15 points and 13 assists

THE WIND-UP

The Warriors, proud owners of 18 UAAP titles,  had a chance to win the game but when Hojilla came off a screen to shoot the ball he shot an airball and then fouled Nonoy Chuatico who got the rebound. Hojilla embraced Chuatico which was an automatic intentional foul that merited two free throws and ball possession. Chuatico missed his first free throw but sank his second for a slim 93 – 92 lead with 16 seconds left.  The Blue Eagle possession saw the Ateneo team milk the clock again as Nonoy passed the ball to Jun  then back to Jun then to Eric Reyes who was fouled by Jerry Codinera. That infraction was the fifth and last foul of Codinera that ended his UAAP career. When Codinera’s last foul was whistled as an intentional foul, the Ateneo gallery went wild and unfurled various “We’re No. 1” banners to signal their inevitable win with 3 seconds left in the game.  Reyes then sank one of this two free throws and the team from Katipunan wasted the time as the final buzzer sounded with the Ateneo Blue Eagles winning their first UAAP Men’s Basketball title. It was the first championship for  all sports for the Ateneo in the UAAP and this one did not come out overnight because it was a long process of putting the right pieces together. Finally the Blue Eagles have redeemed themselves from that NCAA debacle ten years ago and this championship is the hardest one to get.

The Comeback Kings! The 1987 UAAP Champs  - Ateneo Blue Eagles

THE LEGACY

The Blue Eagles win will go down in Philippines basketball history as the best comeback in all of basketball. The Blue Eagles limited the Warriors to one field goal in the last eight minutes of the game. The defense of the Blue Eagles made the Warriors miss four field goals, commit five turnovers and missed five free throws in crunch time. Eric Reyes had a solid game by scoring 23 points and providing the inside presence that the Eagles needed. Alex Araneta put the cuffs on Jerry Codinera, outhustled him, out jumped and had the national team starting center useless in the final six minutes. Jet Nieto sparked the run by scoring eight of this 15 points in the magical 22 – 2 run of the Blue Eagles. Prior to Nieto’s three pointer he had missed his shot before, and like all shooters the only thing in his mind is that he has to make baskets, hit the shot and not think of missed opportunities, thankfully he ignited the rally. Lastly, Jun Reyes was all heart by scoring 15 points, issuing 13 timely assists and grabbing five important rebounds to offset whatever advantage the Warriors had.  The Warriors were ready for the game, their defense was good, their offense was great but what they weren’t ready was the Ateneo crowd. I had a casual talk with Seph Canlas after their last game in the eliminations and I told him in jest "hope someone gets injured!" Referring to the non bearing UE vs UP game after theirs. He answered with a big NO!!! Then he added! "It would be best that we beat them that they are complete so that they don't have any excuses that they lost!" Seph Canlas is a man of this word.The Ateneo Blue Eagles not only has a champion team but a champion crowd as well.  The monumental victory helped resuscitate the Ateneo Basketball program that was dormant the past decade and the win just showed that one should always be ready when called upon – next man up!

THE FINALS

ATENEO (94) E. Reyes 23, G. Reyes 15, Nieto 15, Chuatico 9, Gayoso 9, Canlas 8, Jeongco 6, Araneta 5, Basa 4, Racela 0,

UE (92) Villarias 17, Banares 16, Mariquit 13, Codinera 10, Zamar 8, Bartolome 5, Hojilla 2, Halftime 51 – 38 

NEXT BLOG: THE 2^ND SEMESTER TOURNAMENTS

BLOG LIST

THE 1987 UAAP CHAMPIONSHIP

While the Blue Eagles were busy preparing for the Finals for the first time, the first setback  came in the news that ace rookie center Danny Francisco was rushed to the hospital because of complications with his lungs.  The news really sent negative vibes to the Ateneo community because the feeling was that we would not be able to match up with the ace center of the Warriors, Jerry Codinera, who scored 32 points the last time around the two teams met.  The team’s answer – next man up – Alex Araneta will be ready to play more minutes against Codinera! The school had another cheer rally to invite everyone to the Rizal Memorial Coliseum for the first finals appearance of the Blue Eagles since losing that 1977 closed-door title game in the NCAA and it took ten years for the Blue Eagles to get there.

When: October 4, 1987, where: Rizal Memorial Coliseum who: Ateneo students and alumni: 90 % the capacity of the RMC! They came in droves, the Blue Eagle fanatics who have been following the core of the team since they were Blue Eaglets! The hecklers, the new fanatics who did not go to the Ateneo HS but have been following the Blue Eagles flight and were there watching the games leading to the championship game. The Alumni, new and old specially the ones who were frustrated not to have cheered the Blue Eagles in that fateful closed-door game.  The decades old Coliseum named after an Ateneo Alumnus was packed to the rafters and the Ateneans are ready to cheer their heart out for their first UAAP Finals. Prior to the Men’s Championship game, the Ateneo Women’s Basketball team made it to the finals but unfortunately lost to the more experienced UST Women’s Basketball team. Nevertheless, the women’s team led by point guard Mitch Lazaro, two sport star Frannie Severino, Luisa Kimpo and our own scoring machine Peachy Cheng  showed class in their loss to the UST belles. Peachy Cheng to my knowledge is the first and only Atenean to score 40 points in the UAAP. She scored 40 when Lady Eagles lost to FEU 85 -73 in their seventh game and also scored 39 points in their opening day win against UE 65 – 59. Peachy is the first woman to be included in the prestigious Ateneo Sports Hall of Fame.

THE FIRST HALF

The Blue Eagles started with Alex Araneta at center, Jun Reyes and Nonoy Chuatico as the guards while JV Gayoso and Seph Canlas started at the forward positions. Canlas was inserted to the frontline so that Eric Reyes can double back as center since Danny Francisco will not be around.   On the other side of the court, Jerry Codinera starts in the middle, Conrado Barile and Vilmer Banares while David Zamar and Vernie Villarias are at the guard positions.   Again, coaching the Warriors is veteran Coach Roehl Nadurata who has come back from the middle east to lead the Warriors for their 19^th title, the one they did not get the previous year. When the game finally started the Blue Eagles opened with a field goal by JV Gayoso  but after that became flat with misses on the drive and was forced to four immediate turnovers.   On the other side of the court Conrado Barile started things for the Warriors with Zamar, Banares and Codinera backing him up to go up 10- 2 in the early stages of the game.  Since Nonoy Chuatico and JV Gayoso burned the Warriors in their last two games the recto based squad closed the lanes for Gayoso that resulted in missed field goals and started with a box and one to force Chuatico to misses from the outside. What UE was doing was giving Ateneo the outside shot and was egging them to take it and not drive to the basket which they did with much success the first two games. Because of this the Blue Eagles became reactive in plays while poor execution and poor shot selection on the half-court game showed that the Blue Eagles were neophytes in the finals. The only silver lining in the first half of the  Blue Eagles was that Jerry Codinera was whistled with three fouls. It was then that the warriors unleashed their surprise package in their back-up center Jojo Mariquit in the last ten minutes of the game. Since Mariquit just spelled Codinera sparingly before, this time he got more minutes and scored six points on jump hooks, grabbed some rebounds and help stem the tide as the Warriors went to Barile who exploded for 11 points, Banares and Villarias who each got nine points for a 51 – 38 halftime lead.

NEXT BLOG: THE 1987 UAAPCHAMPIONSHIP - SECOND HALF

BLOG LIST

THE 1987 UAAP SEASON – SECOND ROUND

DEJAVU vs. FEU

Whenever the Blue Eagles face the FEU Tamaraws its always a physical battle and if ever the Ateneans would go on and win, they come out bloodied and scarred. This 2^nd encounter is no different, since the Tamaraws yielded to the Blue Eagles in the last five minutes of the game in the first round.  This time it was the troika of Andy de Guzman, Dodong Postanes and Ronald Carodan that pummeled the inside while Jack Tanuan took a backseat as the Tamaraws took a 51 – 46 lead. At the start of the second half both teams then fought side by side with the Tamaraws leading 77 – 76 with seven minutes left. The next few minutes saw defense take over as turnovers and missed shots took centerstage. In the last three minutes, with the Tamaraws ahead 81 – 78 the Blue Eagles waged their final offensive as Nonoy Chuatico scored on a three pointer to tie the count. After that Jun Reyes scored on an “and one” play plus a free throw. The Blue Eagles clamped on the Tamaraws who suddenly could not buy a basket and after a good defensive play Nonoy Chuatico was called for a 10 second back court violation. Chuatico eventually made up with that miscue by sinking another three pointer – dejavu.   Jet Nieto eventually settled the count by scoring the last point to give the Blue Eagles another 89 – 81 win against the Tamaraws. It was the first time that the Ateneo won over the Tamaraws twice in one season. In other games UE beat Adamson, La Salle brought down UP and UST beat NU. That meant only the Warriors and the Blue Eagles are still tied for first (6-2)

GAME 8: ATENEO 89 - FEU 81:

DLSU 99 – UP 90, UE 94 – AdU 82, UST 116 – NU 104

ATENEO (87) Chuatico 26, G. Reyes 21, Nieto 10, E. Reyes 8,Francisco 6, Gayoso 5, Basa 5, Araneta 4, Racela 3, Canlas 1, Jeongco 0,

FEU (81) De Guzman 17, Postanes 12, Carodan 12, Latoreno 12, Cruz 10, Tanuan 8, Tiu 8, Byron 2, Nicolas 0, Pablo 0,

Halftime 46 - 51

ATENEO, UE 6-2, UP, UST 5-3, DLSU 4-4, FEU, ADU 3-5, NU 0-7

GAINING GROUND vs. NU, ADAMSON & UP

The next three games saw the Blue Eagles went to overdrive as Eric Reyes led the charge as they put a leash on the NU Bulldogs 94-85 and outsoared the Adamson Falcons 105 -94.  Reyes topscored for 19 points against the Bulldogs and was unstoppable against the Falcons as he scored 24 points and pulled down 18 rebounds.  Everything was going the way of the Blue Eagles as they picked up another win after the UAAP declared UST guard Fedencio Oblina as ineligible after the board discovered that he did not pass his NCEE exam. His disqualification eventually reversed the win the Glowing Goldies had in the first round and put the Eagles on solo first with a 9 – 1 win loss slate.  Of all the teams that benefited from this scenario it was the Eagles that got the most bonus since it gave them a clear one game lead against the UE Warriors.  That development inspired the Blue Eagles as they demolished the undermanned UP Maroons 88 – 56. UP’s three National Players, Ronnie Magsanoc, Benjie Paras and Joey Guanio, were not around that cost them two losses (the other one against NU) that virtually knocked them off the top 2. 

GAME 9: ATENEO 94 - NU 85

UE 89 – DLSU 76, UP 108 – FEU 81, UST 99 – ADU 81

ATENEO (94) E. Reyes 19, Gayoso 18, Nieto 16, Francisco 11, G. Reyes 9, Araneta 6, Basa 6, Chuatico 4, Racela 3, Morales 2,  Jeongco 0, Mendoza 0,

NU (85) Matias 23, Artificio 19, Bautista 13, Rey 10, Lazo 6, Tan 6, Ferrer 4, Divino 2, Lescano2, Adadas 0,  Halftime: 50 - 36

ATENEO, UE (7-2), UP, UST (6-3), DLSU (4-5), FEU, ADU (3-6), NU (0-9)

 GAME 10: ATENEO 105 - ADAMSON 94

NU 89 – UP 75, UST 100 – DLSU 83, UE 91 –FEU 82

ATENEO (105) E.Reyes 24, Chuatico 17, G. Reyes 17, Araneta 11, Basa 10, Francisco 9, Nieto 6, Jeongco 5, Canlas 2, Racela 2, Mendoza 2,

ADAMSON (94) Estrada 26, Banez 14, Garcia 11, Cruz 11, Yao 7, Doromal 7, Saitanan 7, Cahanding 4, Valdez 3, Francisco 2, Halftime: 56-51

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

 GAME 11: ATENEO 88 -  UP 88-56

FEU 107- NU 89, DLSU 88 - ADU 71, UE 116 – UST 110

ATENEO (88) Chuatico 17, E. Reyes 13, Francisco 12, G. Reyes 11, Gayoso 10, Nieto 9, Canlas 6, Jeongco 4, Habana 2, Morales 2, Racela 2, Mendoza 0,

UP (56) Rodriguez 12, Wenceslao 11, Cruz 11, Noriega 7, Mendoza 4, Clemente 4, Somera 2, Manlulo 2, Subido 2, Vergara 0,  Halftime: 41 – 36

ATENEO (10-1), UE (9-2), UP (6-5), ADU, FEU, DLSU (5-6), UST (3-8), NU (1-10)

THE REMATCH vs. UE

With the Maroons virtually out of the finals picture the second meeting between the Warriors and Eagles became a preview of the UAAP finals. Both teams measure up well with each other and are evenly matched with the Eagles narrowly winning in the first round by two free throws in overtime.  The game was high scoring as both teams came out firing. National Team slotman Jerry Codinera and Vilmer Banares started the ball rolling for the team in red while JV Gayoso and Nonoy Chuatico countered with the team in Blue as the first half ended with the Eagles on top 60 - 58.  Both teams tried to seize the upperhand but like a championship game no team allowed the other to pull away. With three minutes and 26 seconds left and the Blue Eagles on top 94 – 93, the Blue Eagles bleachers section started to chant loudly the “Ateneo, Ateneo  Go and Fight!” cheer for two straight minutes that amazingly looked like the cheer was putting the Warriors into a spell as they sputtered in those two minutes. Taking advantage of their futility, the Blue Eagles went with Gayoso, Chuatico and rookie center Danny Francisco to score nine unanswered points to put the game beyond recall as the Eagles took a commanding 103- 93 lead with a minute and thirty seconds remaining. The Blue Eagles went on to quash the last minute rally of the Warriors as Codinera and Modesto Hojilla scored to narrow the gap 105 – 102 with the Eagles still wining. The win gave the Blue Eagles a two game lead in the standings against the Warriors as they improved to 11 – 1 while the Warriors are at second with a 9 – 3 slate. Jerry Codinera led all scorers that night by scoring 32 points while Vilmer Banares added 22. For the Blue Eagles it was JV Gayoso’s 26 and Nonoy Chuatico’s 25 that did the trick. 

GAME 12: vs. UE: 105-102

DLSU 113 - NU 88, UP 92 - UST 83,  FEU 108 - ADU 71,

ATENEO (105) Gayoso 26, Chuatico 25, Canlas 12, G. Reyes 11, Nieto 9, E. Reyes 8, Francisco 8, Araneta 4, Racela 2, Jeongco 0

UE (102) Codinera 32, Banares 22, Villarias 16, Hojilla 11, Barile 7, Zamar 6, Ella 4, Bartolome 2, Mariquit 2, Fermin 0,  Halftime: 60-58

ADMU(11-1), UE (9-3), UP(7-5), DLSU, FEU (6-6),  AdU (5-7), UST (3-9) NU (1-11)

THE HOMESTRETCH vs. DLSU and UST

The last two games of the Blue Eagles saw them sharpen their saw as Eric Reyes burned his former school by scoring 30 points against the De La Salle Green Archers. Coach Dindo Pumaren tried to put a pesky Gelacio Abanilla all game long on Jun Reyes to disrupt the Eagles offense. Unfortunately that never happened.  Haj Jeongco and La Salle's Eric Afable provided the sideshow as both players were trash talking when both players guarded each other. The two almost came into blows as their taunting almost got the best of them. The Eagles took the half 52-49. Early on in the  second half the Archers equalized as game was tied at 60 - all. Eric Reyes scored eight points in a 14 - 5 blast that put the Eagles comfortably ahead 74 - 65 midway through the second half. After the Archers cut the lead to six 71 - 77, the Blue Eagles went to work once again and dropped another bomb that was capped by a three pointer by Joseph Canlas to put the game beyond recall 87- 73.  The final stand by the Green Archers barely mattered as the Eagles went on to win 98 - 89. The Archers were never in the game and relied so much on Dindo Pumaren who scored 40. In their last game of the elimination round, the Blue Eagles avenged their loss against the UST Glowing Goldies with a masterful 108 – 101 win with Nonoy Chuatico  leading the way with 27 points. These two wins prepared the Blue Eagles for the battle that was coming – the 1987 UAAP Men’s Basketball finals. 

GAME 13 vs. DLSU 98-89

UE 102 – NU 99, UP 107 – Adamson 103, FEU 96 – UST 82

ATENEO (98) E. Reyes 30, Chuatico 17, Canlas 14, Nieto 9, Jeongco 8, Gayoso 7, G. Reyes 7, Francisco 4, Basa 2, Araneta 2, Morales 1, Racela 0,

DE LA SALLE (89)Pumaren 40, Santamaria 12, Dinglasan 11, Guste 8, Afable 6, Del Rosario 5, Monasterio 3, Bachmann 2, Favis 2, Bachmann 2, Favis 2, Viaplana 0, Abanilla 0 Halftime: 52-49

ADMU (12-1), UE (10-3), UP (8-5), FEU (7-6), DLSU (6 -6), AdU (5-8), UST (3-10) NU (1-12)

GAME 14 vs. UST 108-101

NU 98 - Adamson 96, FEU 99 - DLSU 87,  UP 101 - UE 87

ATENEO (108) Chuatico 27, Gayoso 16, E. Reyes 15, Nieto 12, Jeongco 8, Basa 7, G. Reyes 6, Francisco  6, Araneta 4, Racela 3, Canlas 2, Mendoza 2,

UST (101) Chua 23, Babilonia 15, Sichon 14, Jose 12, Salvador 12, Franco 10, Flores 6, Bass 4, Belmonte 4,

Halftime: 60- 56

1987 UAAP

FINAL STANDINGS

TEAM     W    L

ATENEO 13  1           

UE         10  4    

UP          9   5      

FEU        8   6

DLSU      6   8

ADU        5  9

UST        3   11

NU          2  12

NEXT BLOG:    THE 1987 UAAPCHAMPIONSHIP

THE 1987 UAAP SEASON - FIRST ROUND

THE 1987 ATENEO BLUE EAGLES

The Blue Eagles were tagged as the dark horse of the tournament and experts said that they will come out third at best behind either UE or UP. But when the season was about to start; only Ateneans were confident enough to brag that the Blue Eagles will win the UAAP 1987 Men’s Basketball title because the core of the team is ripe for a championship.  Like what many people say, you build a champion team with champion players. The core of the team 83 – 84 champion team had Jun Reyes, JV Gayoso, Alex Araneta, Seph Canlas and Jet Nieto. The 85 team had Albert Mendoza and Raymund Morales while the 1986 team had Danny Francisco, Jojo Habana and Olsen Racela. That is four High school championship teams and you can add to that the NOPSSCEA Finals MVP Nonoy Chuatico and LSGH National Inter-secondary Champion Eric Reyes, together with veterans Mel Basa and Haj Jeongco.  That time, and even until now,  there was no team loaded with High School championship experience than the Blue Eagles.

When classes started in the school year 1987- 1988 the Ateneo community were in for a sneak peek as they played one of the contenders of the 1987 NCAA, the Letran Knights. The knights eventually won the NCAA that year and with the Blue Eagles beating them by 15 points was a testament that the Blue Eagles were ready to wreak havoc in the UAAP.  After that practice game, the Ateneo community got more excited when they met the team during the annual Ateneo cheer rally. Now that the team is ready as they say all we need now are the people who will watch the games. Since the Ateneo transferred to the UAAP all the players saw were empty seats, some family members and some loyal friends who were there to watch. The University Athletics office would even go as far as give complimentary tickets to some avid fans that wanted to watch. But this time it’s different, the bulk of the Ateneo community back then were the same supporters who watched the 1983 Juniors team beat the UST prep and the same supporters who came to watch the 12- 0 Blue Eaglets. Then came the supporters that saw the pain and gains of the 1985 Eaglets that eventually won the title and the same supporters that saw the 14 – 0 Blue Eaglets.  For the first time, the Ateneo Blue Eagles will be playing alongside a packed coliseum and as the say; finally the Blue Babble Battalion will have a crowd to lead.

UAAP OPENING vs. UP

The 1987 UAAP opened on July 18, 1987 at the decades old Rizal Memorial Coliseum.  In those years, the opening ceremonies was attended by the students of all the member schools so you can just imagine that  the Rizal Coliseum was packed to the rafters. The first opponent of the Blue Eagles and the first game after the opening ceremonies was the defending champion UP Maroons. Fresh from their monumental win last school year, the Maroons had the bulk of their champion team coming back with National team point guard Ronnie Magsanoc, shooter Joey Guanio, defensive stalwart Ramil Cruz and the strongest force in amateur basketball, the Tower of Power – Benjie Paras.  The Blue Eagles started with Alex Araneta at center, JV Gayoso and Eric Reyes at the forward spot and Jun Reyes and Nonoy Chuatico as the guards.  The Blue Eagles clogged the middle that made it so hard for the Maroons to penetrate that made Ronnie Magsanoc take over by scoring 27 first half points. The Blue Eagles took the half 48 – 43 and were in control of the game.  With a packed Rizal Memorial Coliseum, the Blue Babble Battalion went down to perform with their shades on and that elicited boos from the other schools that were present. At the start of the second half, the Blue Eagles were unfazed with the connivance of the other schools to cheer with the Maroons as the Blue Eagles erected their biggest lead 69 – 58 with less than ten minutes remaining. Then it happened, the defending champions went inside the paint and Benjie Paras took over and showed the stuff that they were made off as they dropped a 22 – 6 bomb to take the upper hand 80 - 75. Unfortunately, for the Blue Eagles, the player who created the spark to help the UP Maroons get back was their rookie point guard Alfie Manlulo who was a part of the 1986 Ateneo Juniors team. Nonoy Chuatico tried to counter with a three pointer to equalize the count at 80- all that got the Ateneo bleachers singing their fight songs. However, the Maroons gathered enough steam to quell the final uprising of the Blue Eagles to eke out an 88 – 80 win.  The team was so eager to put away the defending champions that the opening day jitters got into the Blue Eagles as they shot a paltry 13 for 33 from the free throw line that spelled their doom. Was it opening day jitters? The Blue Eagles lacked the killer instinct needed by a champion team and this they learned against the defending champions. 

GAME 1: OPENING DAY: UP 88 – ATENEO 80,

Adamson 97-NU 77, UE 105-UST 101 (OT) FEU 83-DLSU 79

UP (88) Magsanoc 38, Paras 18, Cruz 14, Guanio 5, Rodriguez 5, Manlulo 3, Vergara 3, Wenceslao 2,

ATENEO (80) Chuatico 16, G. Reyes 16 Nieto 15, E. Reyes 9, Jeongco 6, Francisco 6, Gayoso 5, Canlas 3, Racela 2, Araneta 2,    Halftime: 43-48

ATENEO WINS OVER ADAMSON and NU

After that nerve-wracking loss to the Maroons, the Blue Eagles flaunted with defeat once again against the Adamson Falcons as they gave up a 14-point lead. Roland Ventura and Juancho Estrada orchestrated a comeback that almost have them win only to falter in the waning seconds of the game that went to overtime.  Losing another double digit lead and with the game going to overtime, it was the wake -up call the Blue Eagles were waiting for as the Katipunan squad outscored the San Marcelino cagers 17 – 3 in overtime. Danny Francisco showed why he Ateneans are excited with the new Eagle on the block by scoring 10 of his team high 14 points in overtime as the Blue Eagles scored their first win 89 – 75. In their third game against the NU Bulldogs, this time the shooters had their field day. Nonoy Chuatico scattered 28 points, while Jun Reyes had 22, Jet Nieto netting 13 and Joseph Canlas scoring 12 as the Blue Eagles ran over the hapless Bulldogs 107 – 94. The news of the day was that the last two previously unbeaten teams, defending champion UP Maroons and UE Warriors both lost their games to Adamson and FEU respectively. As a result of those losses, there was a five-way tie for the  top spot as Adamson, Ateneo, FEU, UE and UP were all tied for first place with similar 2 – 1 win loss cards.

GAME 2: ATENEO 89 - ADAMSON 81,

UP 100 – NU 81, UST 88 – FEU 81, UE 104 – DLSU 95

ATENEO (89) Francisco 14, E. Reyes 14, G. Reyes 12, Basa 12, canlas 12, Chuatico 10, Nieto 9, Racela 6, Araneta 2, Jeongco 2,

ADAMSON (81) Ventura 23, Estrada 22, Doromal 8, Saitanan 7, Garcia 6, Cahanding 6, Chua 3, Yao 0 Halftime:  41-34

 GAME 3 ATENEO 107 vs. NU 194 :

DLSU 89 – UST 76, ADAMSON 95- UP85 FEU 107- UE 94 OT

ATENEO  (107) Chuatico 28, G. Reyes 22, Nieto 13, Canlas 11, Francisco 10, Habana 6, Mendoza 5, Araneta 5, Gayoso 4, Morales 2, E. Reyes 0, Racela 0,

NU (94) Rey 21, Bautista 17, Artifico 14, LEscano 11, matias 8, Artadi 8, Ferrer 7 Divino 5, Lazo 4 Tan 0, Nicdao 0, Halftime: 54-47

THE MONUMENTAL BATTLE vs UE

Those two wins helped prepare the Blue Eagles for the epic battles against four contenders that would come after. First, the team that is favored to win it all, the 1986 runner-up UE Warriors. The Blue Eagles started well as they held an early 12 – 4 lead thru good defense, fastbreaks and jumpers. The Warriors immediately clobbered back thru the timely hits of do it all guard Vernie Villarias to give the Recto squad a 35 – 34 lead. Nonoy Chuatico helped detonate a 15 – 9 run that saw the Eagles end the first half ahead by five 49 – 44.  In the second half, the Warriors were just within striking distance until they levelled the count at 60 – all. Then both teams fought toe to toe from thereon until JV Gayoso baited Jerry Codinera’s fourth foul with three seconds left with the score tied at 90 – all. Luckily, for the Warriors, the pressure got into Gayoso as he missed both free throws and the game went to overtime.  The Warriors then took the upper hand right away 93 – 90 until Danny Francisco baited Codinera for his fifth and last foul. Danny said that it was hard facing Codinera for the first time because Jerry can shoot a jumper , is strong inside and you have to be ready to get the rebounds against him. But with Codinera out of the ball game, the Blue Eagles took advantage and turned the tables around. With the game about to go into a second overtime, Jun Reyes was fouled with three seconds left. This time the Reyes made sure that his free throws would go in as the Eagles notched their third win with a hard-earned 102 – 100 overtime victory against the UE Warriors. Six Blue Eagles scored in double figures with Nonoy Chuatico leading the way with 24 points, Eric Reyes had 16, rookie center Danny Francisco added 15 points, Jun Reyes and JV Gayoso both had 13 points while Jet Nieto added 11 markers. UE’s Vernie Villarias went wild with 35 points and Codinera chipped in 16 points.

GAME 4: ATENEO 102 - UE 102- 100 OT:

FEU 118 – NU 93, DLSU 83 – ADU 71, UP 97 – UST 92

ATENEO (102) Chuatico 24, E. Reyes 16, Francisco 15, G. Reyes 13, Gayoso 13, Nieto 11, Araneta 6, Racela 2, Jeongco 2, Canlas 0, Basa 0,

UE (100) Villarias 35, Codinera 16, Barile 16, Bartolome 13, Longalong 8, Fermin 4, Zamar 4, Hojilla 2, Mariquit 2,   Halftime: 49-44 regulation 90-all

Ateneo, FEU, UP (3-1) Adamson, DLSU, UE, UST (2-2) ust 1-3 NU 0-4

THE SHOOT-OUT vs. FEU

Three days after their biggest conquest, the Blue Eagles were ready to mix it up with another title favorite the Far Eastern University Tamaraws. The last time these two teams met, the Tamaraws won 2 – 0 to win the MMBL title in February and the odds favor the tamaraws again. In this game, the Tamaraws went to Jack Tanuan early and the rest of their frontline that included rookie Victor Pablo, Andy de Guzman, Dodong Postanes and were on the verge of beating the Blue Eagles once again by leading by 10 points with less than five minutes left. It was at this time when Nonoy Chuatico said “Enough is Enough!” and afterwards  drilled in four consecutive three- pointers to erase that ten point lead and eventually surge ahead 70 – 66. That run inspired the rest of the team that responded with an 8 – 2 bomb in the last two minutes to close the game and run away with a 78 – 68 win.  Nonoy Chuatico waxed hot as he scored 31 points and was averaging 27 ppg in their last three games against the Bulldogs, Warriors and Tamaraws. In the other games, the UE Warriors beat the defending champion UP Maroons in overtime that gave the Blue Eagles solo leadership with a 4 – 1 slate.  It was the third consecutive overtime game of the Warriors and this time they played their cards right.

GAME 5: ATENEO  78 - FEU 78 - 68

DLSU 91 – NU 90, UST 84-ADu 81, UE 116- UP 110 (OT)

ATENEO (78) Chuatico 30, Reyes G. 12, Gayoso 9, Nieto 7, Canlas 6, Francisco 4, Racela 4, E. Reyes 3, Araneta 2, Basa 1, Jeongco 0

FEU (68) Tanuan 23, Pablo12, De Guzman 11, Cruz 10, Postanes 8, Tiu 2, Burden 2, Nicolas 0, Latoreno  Halftime:  38 - 34

Ateneo, (4-1) FEU, UP, DLSU, UE, UST (3-2) AdU, UST 2-3 NU 0-5

BROUGHT DOWN TO EARTH BY THE GOLDIES

After four consecutive wins and bringing down two big guns, the Blue Eagles were confident and eager to go and keep their distance from the other teams. Unfortunately, the University of Santo Tomas Glowing Goldies had other plans.  The game was tight and in the last two minutes, the Blue Eagles were playing catch up. With 30 seconds left, and the Blue Eagles down by two points 86 – 88 with the Blue Eagles inbounding the ball, Eric Reyes saw Alex Araneta free near the basket and threw him a pass. Gido Babilonia intercepted Eric’s long pitch to Araneta and in the ensuing play, Fedencio Oblina scored on a jumper that gave the Goldies a 90 – 86 lead with 24 seconds left. The Goldies eventually won the game 91 – 89 with Oblina scoring 16 points for the team from Espana. Since both UE and UP won over NU and La Salle respectively, there was a three-way tie once again for the top spot with the three teams sporting 4 – 2 win loss cards.

GAME 6:  UST 91- ATENEO 89

UE 96 – NU 90, AdU 87 – FEU 84, UP 123 – DLSU 109 OT

UST (91) Oblina 16, Santos 14, Jose 14, Sichon 10, Franco 8, Salvador 8, Chua 7, Babilonia 6, Tabora 4, 50-55 halftime

ATENEO (89) – Nieto 18, E. Reyes 18, Gayoso 16, Chuatico 13, G. Reyes 8, Canlas 8, Jeongco 4, Basa 2, Francisco 2, Racela 0,  Halftime:

ATENEO, UP, UE 4-2, UST 3-3, FEU, ADU, DLSU 3-4, NU 0-7

THE RIVALRY vs. DLSU

The final game in the hotly contested first round of the 1987 UAAP Men’s Basketball tournament was against the Blue Eagle’s archrivals- the De La Salle Green Archers. Although the Blue Eagles did not gain a big lead, they were confident that they had total control of the game and was never really threatened as the half ended with the Blue Eagles up by three 58 - 55.  Joey Sta. Maria scattered 30 points and Dindo Pumaren added 18 points but the Archers still lost the game as Jun Reyes, Jet Nieto, JV Gayoso and Nonoy Chuatico combined for 69 points and always doused cold water on every Green Archer uprising enroute to a 95 – 91 win. The first round of action in this year's 50th UAAP season was full of action and surprises as the Blue Eagles ended the first round tied for first with UP and UE with 5- 2 win loss cards, UST comes in fourth with a 4 – 3 slate, Adamson, FEU and DLSU occupy 5^th to 7^th slot with 3 – 4 cards and NU still winless at 0 – 7. The teams tied for first until the teams tied till seventh place is separated only by two games.   

GAME 7: DLSU 95-91

UST 92 – NU 74, UE 114 ADAMSON 98, UP 105 – FEU 104

ATENEO (95) G. Reyes 21, Nieto 21, Gayoso 14, Chuatico 13, Francisco 8, Canlas 6, E. Reyes 6, Jeongco 4, Araneta 2, Racela 0,

DLSU (91) Sta. Maria 30, Pumaren 18, Afable 10, Dinglasan 8, Monasterio 8, Del Rosario 6, Mababa 4, Bachman 4, Favis 3, Viaplana 0, Abanilla 0

Halftime: – 58-55

NEXT BLOG:  THE 1987 UAAP SEASON - SECOND ROUND

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THE SWITCH: Goodbye NCAA, Hello UAAP

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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