Ateneo Blue Eagles, Rebuild, Redeem!

 

ATENEO DE MANILA UNIVERSITY Blue Eagles

UAAP Season 84 (2022) record: 15-3

1st place eliminations.

Beat FEU in the final four,

Lost to UP in the Finals 2-1)

Coach: Tab Baldwin (6^th Season)

Subtractions (exhausted playing years): None

Decommitted (forgoes playing year/s): SJ Belangel, Tyler Tio, Gian Mamuyac, Troy Mallillin, Raffy Verano, Jolo Mendoza,

Holdovers: BJ Andrade, Matthew Daves, Angelo Kouame, Geo Chiu, Dave Ildefonso, Chris Koon, Gabriel Gomez, Forthsky Padrigao, Joshua Lazaro,

Rookies: Kai Ballungay, Paul Garcia, Inand Fornillos (LSGH), Kyle Ong (Jubilee), Sean Qetevis (Paref), Jacob Lao (LSGH) JC Fetalvero (AHS)

Reserves: Jed Diaz, Justin Diaz Ian Espinosa

 

Background: 

The Blue Eagles were on track of a rare two season sweep of the UAAP when they suddenly ran out of steam at the end of the eliminations and got beaten by an inspired University of the Philippines squad in the UAAP Season 84 finals. The Blue Eagles only had three losses this year, all against UP with two of the losses coming in the UAAP finals.

 

Key changes: 

Ateneo is losing mostly the core of its veteran squad with SJ Belangel, Gian Mamuyac, Tyler Tio, Raffy Verano, Troy Mallilin and Jolo Mendoza. All of them would’ve been eligible to play in season 85 but unfortunately decided to move along. These guys were the most affected because of the pandemic and this resulted with them giving up their last year of eligibility.  Taking their place are a slew of Team B players in Inand Fornillos, Sean Qtevis, JC Fetalvero and Jacob Lao. Fil-Am Paul Garcia, a two and through player from Salisburry University will be one of the point guards that is UAAP ready and will most likely take SJ’s place once he familiarizes himself with CTB’s system. To add more ceiling, transferee 6-7 Kai Ballungay from Stanislaus State University, California will be taking over Raffy Verano’s place and is raring to prove himself. Another big man is 6-7 Kyle Ong who is still trying to crack a spot in CTB’s rotation. Nine veterans will be coming back for the Blue Eagles in a bid to return the trophy to the other side of Katipunan.

Outlook: 

Losing six valuable veterans will take its toll against the Blue Eagles as they buy time to get their rookies into fighting form and learn Coach Tab’s system. League MVP Angelo Kouame and Dave Ildefonso will now lead this team with BJ Andrade delaying his PBA stint by playing his last year with the Blue & White. Also, Matthew Daves should be able to slide into the 4 spot without much problem while Geo Chiu will now be counted on to hold the fort when Kouame goes to the bench. Notable rookies that played in Season 84 were Joshua Lazaro and Chris Koon. Both are first five shoo-ins and will be ready to play once called upon. Sophomore Fortsky Padrigao will now be the starting point guard with rookie Fil-Am Paul Garcia coming off the bench. Gab Gomez, the three-point specialist showed signs of what he can do but will fight for minutes in this team. The big addition to the Blue Eagles is 6-7 Kai Ballungay who was the MVP of the World University Basketball tournament in Japan. Team B call-ups Sean Qtevis, JC Fetalvero, Inand Fornillos and Jacob Lao will help The Blue Eagles team defense is still there and will make other teams pay if they slack off. The big problem that the Blue Eagles encountered last year is their awful free throw shooting as the whole team shot 60% from the line the whole of season 84. These misses caught up with them when they lost to UP. If they can address their offensive woes this year, the title will go back to Katipunan. The last time the Blue Eagles lost a lot of key players was in 2016 and they still managed to make it to the finals. As Ateneans say, In Tab we trust.

 

Prognosis: 

Ateneo will most likely slid to either 2^nd or 3^rd spot in the eliminations. This means the only way they can bring back the title back to Katipunan is through the hard route since they will most probably meet either DLSU or UP in the final four. If they survive the final four, the finals will be another three-game affair and the only way the Blue Eagles will redeem themselves is to come out with a masterpiece by sinking their free throws, disallowing offensive rebounds by their opponents and overcoming either UP or DLSU’s defense.

 A tall order, but not impossible. 

La Salle Green Archers - Going Big, Getting Better

DE LA SALLE GREEN ARCHERS

UAAP Season 84 (2022) record: 10-6

3^rd place in Eliminations.

Lost to UP in the Final Four knock-out match

Coach: Derrick Pumaren (2^nd Season)

Subtractions: Justine Baltazar, Ralph Cu, Donn Lim, Kurt Lojera

Decommitted: Deo Cuajao (transferred to Letran)

Holdovers: Francis Escandor, Joaquin Manuel, Mark Nonoy, Evan Nelle, Deschawn Winston, Bright Nwanko (FSA), Michael Philips, Benjamin Philips, Aaron Buensalida, Penny Estacio, CJ Austria, JC Macalalag

Rookies: Raven Cortez (DLSZ), Kevin Quiambao (NU), Earl Abadam (Westfield SHS) Isiah Blanco (UC)

Reserves: Emman Galman, Prince Alao, Joshua David, Nath Montecillo

Background: 

The Green Archers are coming off their best season in three years and were three minutes away from making it back to the finals, Unfortunately, tragedy struck as they were not able to close the deal and succumbed to the pressure as they gave away a 14-point fourth quarter lead and lost 74-78 to eventual champions, the UP Fighting Maroons.  Season 84 was a roller coaster ride for the Green Archers as they finally solved UP’s defense by beating them in the first final four game and almost clinching the second final four game. The Archers also showed they can match up well with the Blue Eagles and are now itching to beat the Blue and White this year.

 

Key changes: 

DLSU lost all around big man Justine Baltazar and Kurt Lojera but has a lot of players in their pipeline raring to prove themselves most notably big guys Kevin Quiambao and Raven Cortez. The Green Archers have a big frontline and it just got bigger with these two former youth campaigners. All eyes are on Quiambao and what he can contribute to the team as he gained a lot of praise with his stellar play while representing the country in the FIBA Asia cup. In college basketball, you lose some but gain new players once again as Deo Cuajao, Donn Lim and Ralph Cu all opted to transfer that will pave the way for newcomers that has homegrown guard JC Macalalag, Fil-Aussie Earl Abadam and former University of Cebu HS Ace, Ice Blanco to shine. Also, Penny Estacio has now recovered from his injury and also raring to go. The Green Archers have twelve holdovers from last season’s team so expect them to have sharpened arrows this season.

Outlook: 

The usual suspects will be back but more importantly their core is a season wiser and are now more comfortable with their roles.  Leading the Green Archers are two guards on their last playing year with Evan Nelle and Deshawn Winston making sure that they are on track to win it all this year.  The Fast and the Furious trio of Evan Nelle, Shonny Winston and Mark Nonoy will be there to shoot the lights out and carry the bulk of the offense for DLSU.  Leading their frontline is last year’s revelation 6-8 Michael Philips who was a part of the UAAP Mythical 5. Philips will have more than enough help up front with his 6-6 brother Ben Phillips, 6-9 Foreign Student Athlete Bright Nawanko, 6-7 rookie Raven Cortez and 6-7 former UAAP Juniors MVP Kevin Quiambao. That means, the Archers will have a formidable fort when someone goes inside and can match up with any team in the UAAP. Michael Philips is the anchor of the green archers interior defense and his matchups to stop Ateneo’s Kouame and UP’s twin big men of Lucero and Tamayo will be a sight to watch. Philips though has a lot to improve in the offense department most notably his free throw shooting. Reliable forward Joaqui Manuel will need to be consistent in both offense and defense while CJ Austria will have to provide them a steady presence. Kevin Quiambao as mentioned is a great addition to the team and will be a rookie with veteran smarts once he plays. Bright Nawanko showed flashes of improvement with his scoring, rebounding and rebounding and will be another big frontliner that will battle the other bigs.  Coach Pumaren usually rotates ten to twelve players at most and other players that will come from the bench to give meaningful minutes will be Benjamin Philips, Aaron Buensalida, Penny Estacio, Emman Galman and rookie Isiah Blanco.

 

Prognosis: 

The De La Salle Green Archers have a shot to win it all this season. After winning the 2022 PBA D League Aspirants cup, the Green Archers showed that they have what addressed their problems from last season and now has what it takes to win it all in season 85.  The most important thing to remember for the Green Archers to win as much games as possible to secure the number 1 spot at the end of the eliminations. They are a shoo-in for the final four and by securing the number one spot, in can help them slide easily to the finals and wait for their opponent. Once in the finals, anything can happen, and the Green Archers can bank on their pre-tournament win to show that they can get back to the top of the UAAP once again. The Green Archers have the experience and are ready to win it all.

  

UP Fighting Maroons wins Season 84 Title

GAME 1: UAAP Finals Season 84

UP-DILIMAN (81) – Rivero 19, Lucero 17, Spencer 13, Diouf 10, Tamayo 10, Abadiano 4, Cagulangan 4, Alarcon 4, Fortea 0, Ramos 0.

ATENEO DE MANILA (74) – Kouame 18, Verano 17, Belangel 17, Mamuyac 7, Ildefonso 6, Andrade 3, Koon 2, Chiu 2, Daves 2, Padrigao 0, Tio 0.

Period Scores: 17-19, 32-31, 49-54, 70-70 (reg.), 81-74 (OT).

GAME 2: UAAP Finals Season 84

ATENEO DE MANILA (69) – Tio 14, Kouame 14, Ildefonso 10, Mamuyac 7, Koon 6, Belangel 6, Verano 4, Andrade 3, Lazaro 3, Chiu 2, Daves 0.

UP-DILIMAN (66) – Tamayo 18, Rivero 16, Diouf 8, Cagulangan 8, Lucero 8, Alarcon 5, Spencer 3, Lina 0, Abadiano 0, Fortea 0.

Period Scores: 17-16, 37-28, 49-45, 69-66.

GAME 3: UAAP Finals Season 84

UP-DILIMAN (72) – Diouf 17, Cansino 14, Cagulangan 13, Rivero 9, Alarcon 8, Tamayo 6, Spencer 5, Abadiano 0, Fortea 0, Lucero 0.

ATENEO DE MANILA (69) – Belangel 27, Kouame 12, Mamuyac 10, Koon 6, Lazaro 5, Verano 5, Ildefonso 2, Tio 2, Andrade 0, Chiu 0, Daves 0.

Period Scores: 17-11, 31-27, 46-47, 59-59 (reg.), 72-69 (OT).

UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES 

FIGHTING MAROONS

UAAP SEASON 84 MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPION

 

UAAP Season 84 End of Eliminations

 

UAAP MB SEASON 84 DAY - 14

ADAMSON (65) – Sabandal 15, V Magbuhos 11, Lastimosa 7, Peromingan 7, Yerro 6, Hanapi 6, Zaldivar 5, Manzano 4, Douanga 3, Colonia 1, Maata 0, Fuentebella 0, Jaymalin 0, Calisay 0, Barasi 0, Erolon 0.

EAST (53) – Pagsanjan 13, K Paranada 10, Escamis 9, Je Cruz 8, N Paranada 5, Sawat 2, Antiporda 2, Villanueva 2, Lorenzana 2, Tulabut 0, Beltran 0, Pascual 0, Guevarra 0, Abatayo 0.

Period Scores: 15-16, 30-22, 47-42, 65-53.

FAR EASTERN (109) – Sajonia 27, Abarrientos 11, Gonzales 10, Alforque 10, Sleat 9, Ojuola 8, Bienes 8, Torres 8, Celzo 6, Gravera 5, Sandagon 2, Tempra 2, Dulatre 2, Li 1, Coquia 0.

SANTO TOMAS (65) – Cabanero 16, Fontanilla 13, Concepcion 10, Manalang 6, Manaytay 5, M Pangilinan 5, Canoy 4, Gomez de Liano 3, Ando 2, Garing 1, Herrera 0, Mantua 0, Yongco 0, Gesalem 0.

Period Scores: 22-15, 49-34, 84-47, 109-65.

DE LA SALLE (76) – Manuel 20, M Phillips 15, Lojera 11, Nelle 7, B Phillips 7, Nonoy 5, Cu 3, Nwankwo 3, Cuajao 3, Austria 2.

NATIONAL (65) – Figueroa 20, Malonzo 13, Enriquez 6, Mahinay 6, Torres 5, Tibayan 4, Yu 3, Gaye 2, Joson 2, Felicilda 2, Manansala 2, Ildefonso 0, Clemente 0, Galinato 0, Minerva 0.

Period Scores: 15-11, 37-25, 54-48, 76-65.

UP-DILIMAN (84) – Diouf 18, Tamayo 16, Spencer 12, Cansino 11, Lucero 9, Rivero 8, Cagulangan 7, Fortea 3, Lina 0, Webb 0, Alarcon 0.

ATENEO DE MANILA (83) – Kouame 21, Ildefonso 18, Belangel 11, Andrade 10, Verano 7, Tio 6, Koon 5, Mendoza 2, Lazaro 2, Chiu 1, Mamuyac 0.

Period Scores: 27-13, 50-44, 70-67, 84-83.

 

photos from UAAP Varsity Channel FB page

UAAP MB SEASON 84 DAY - 13

NATIONAL (100) – Joson 15, Ildefonso 12, Mahinay 11, Figueroa 9, Manansala 9, Enriquez 8, Clemente 6, Malonzo 6, Torres 5, Flores 5, Galinato 4, Yu 4, Felicilda 4, Tibayan 2, Gaye 0.

EAST (81) – Pagsanjan 16, Escamis 15, Lorenzana 14, Je Cruz 11, N Paranada 10, K Pranada 7, Guevarra 3, Sawat 2, Pascual 2, Beltran 1, Tulabut 0, Antiporda 0, Villanueva 0, Abatayo 0.

Period Scores: 21-20, 52-36, 77-58, 100-81.

DE LA SALLE (64) – Winston 19, Nelle 11, Lojera 10, Austria 6, Baltazar 6, Nwankwo 4, M Phillips 4, Manuel 2, B Phillips 2, Nonoy 0.

ADAMSON (51) – Lastimosa 11, Peromingan 11, Sabandal 8, Zaldivar 7, Douanga 6, Manzano 4, Hanapi 4, Maata 0, Yerro 0, Fuentebella 0, Colonia 0, Jaymalin 0, Barasi 0, V Magbuhos 0.

Period Scores: 12-13, 27-26, 43-43, 64-51.

ATENEO DE MANILA (70) – Verano 17, Tio 14, Ildefonso 8, Belangel 8, Mamuyac 7, Koon 4, Kouame 4, Mendoza 3, Padrigao 3, Chiu 2, Andrade 0, Gomez 0, Lazaro 0, Daves 0.

FAR EASTERN (53) – Abarrientos 12, Gonzales 10, Torres 8, Ojuola 5, Alforque 5, Tempra 4, Sajonia 3, Sleat 3, Celzo 2, Coquia 1, Sandagon 0, Bienes 0, Li 0.

Period Scores: 17-11, 33-23, 51-34, 70-53.

 

UP-DILIMAN (96) – Rivero 15, Cansino 14, Lucero 13, Calimag 10, Cagulangan 9, Alarcon 7, Tamayo 7, Diouf 6, Fortea 6, Spencer 3, Webb 2, Ramos 2, Catapusan 2, Lina 0, Abadiano 0.

SANTO TOMAS (67) – M Pangilinan 21, Gomez de Liano 9, Mantua 6, Ando 6, Manalang 5, Manaytay 4, Fontanilla 4, Cabanero 4, Herrera 3, Concepcion 3, Canoy 2, Samudio 0, Yongco 0, Gesalem 0.

Period Scores: 26-11, 53-33, 73-53, 96-67.

photos from UAAP Varsity Channel FB page

UAAP MB SEASON 84 DAY - 12

FAR EASTERN (67) – Abarrientos 21, Torres 14, Sleat 10, Gonzales 9, Ojuola 4, Sajonia 3, Tempra 2, Celzo 2, Alforque 2, Sandagon 0, Bienes 0.

DE LA SALLE (62) – Nelle 15, Baltazar 13, Lojera 10, M Phillips 7, Nwankwo 6, Austria 4, Nonoy 4, Cuajao 3, Manuel 0, Cu 0, Galman 0, B Phillips 0.

Period Scores: 25-15, 42-29, 47-49, 67-62.

UP-DILIMAN (81) – Lucero 20, Rivero 17, Cansino 8, Eusebio 7, Tamayo 7, Abadiano 6, Diouf 6, Fortea 4, Cagulangan 4, Spencer 2, Calimag 0, Alarcon 0.

EAST (68) – Antiporda 15, N Paranada 13, Escamis 9, K Paranada 8, Beltran 7, Sawat 4, Pagsanjan 4, Villanueva 3, Je Cruz 3, Lorenzana 2, Ja Cruz 0, Tulabut 0, Pascual 0, Guevarra 0, Abatayo 0.

Period Scores: 18-8, 44-26, 59-44, 81-68.

ATENEO DE MANILA (91) – Daves 18, Kouame 18, Koon 8, Ildefonso 7, Belangel 7, Mamuyac 6, Padrigao 6, Tio 6, Verano 6, Mendoza 4, Andrade 3, Lazaro 2, Gomez 0.

ADAMSON (57) – Lastimosa 16, Yerro 8, Manzano 8, Douanga 6, Barasi 5, Hanapi 4, Peromingan 3, Sabandal 3, Colonia 2, V Magbuhos 2, Maata 0, Zaldivar 0, Fuentebella 0, Jaymalin 0, Calisay 0, Erolon 0.

Period Scores: 20-17, 40-24, 65-41, 91-57.

NATIONAL (73) – Torres 18, Felicilda 12, Malonzo 11, Clemente 9, Enriquez 9, Joson 6, Gaye 4, Figueroa 2, Minerva 2, Ildefonso 0, Galinato 0, Yu 0, Manansala 0, Mahinay 0, Tibayan 0, Flores 0.

SANTO TOMAS (60) – Cabanero 13, Fontanilla 12, Manalang 11, Canoy 7, Ando 7, Concepcion 4, Manaytay 3, Santos 3, Herrera 0, M Pangilinan 0, Garing 0, Gesalem 0.

Period Scores: 17-12, 36-24, 54-35, 73-60

photos from UAAP Varsity Channel FB page