Ateneo Blue Eagles Season 80 team preview – Live in the moment, not the shadow

Forget Pacquiao-Marquez. Forget the Manila Clasico. If there is one rivalry in Philippine sports that has stood the test of time, it is Ateneo-La Salle.

As fate would have it, that’s the matchup fans were treated to last year in the UAAP Season 79 finals as the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles tussled one more time against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers. 

One season removed from the departure of local hero Kiefer Ravena, Ateneo still brought the fight to the “shield of green and white.” However, it was just not their time yet, as they were swept by the Archers in two close games, 62-65 and 72-79.

Entering Season 80, Ateneo boasts a roster that proved to be the least affected by the yearly graduation bug. Despite losing their top gunners in Ravena and Von Pessumal after Season 78, they still reached the finals anyway, like it was no big deal. 

Now that they have proven to still be a title contender with a new player core, their biggest adversaries, aside from La Salle of course, will really just be themselves. 

The House that Ravena Built 

For one half of the 2010s, Ateneo is Kiefer Ravena. More often than not, he alone was majorly responsible for their wins and losses, depending on his groove. Sure, studs like Greg Slaughter and Chris Newsome have come and gone, but it was Kiefer who held down the Eagles’ nest for his entire stay in Ateneo.

Just as the legend of Kiefer moves on from the white and blue, in comes his younger brother, Thirdy. Right after he sat out Season 78, he was thrust into the spotlight of a championship squad along with Adrian Wong and Mike Nieto. 

The regular season went along smoothly for the younger Ravena as he posted averages of 9.9 points and 7.8 rebounds, both team-highs, on a 41% clip. However, things went south for him come playoff time, as his averages dipped to 8.5 points and 6.3 rebounds on a significantly worse 20% shooting percentage. 

Ateneo as a team did fine, but Thirdy was clearly exposed way too long, too heavily and too early. Having him come off the bench in all games but one means nothing since he averaged the second-most minutes on the team anyway.

This season, Thirdy will still be an important building block in the Eagles’ attempt to repeat a finals berth, but maybe coaches should ease up on him a bit more as he further hones his skills. 

Unlimited resources

Aside from the continuing Ravena factor, what still defines Ateneo as a legitimate contender is their endless supply of talent.  

Mike Nieto, Aaron Black, Adrian Wong, Anton Asistio, Vince Tolentino, Chibueze Ikeh and La Salle Greenhills high school standout Troy Mallilin, among others, round up Ateneo’s slew of reliable men. That’s literally half the roster that they can really count on. Few teams can say the same.

Also, Tab Baldwin is still their coach. That same guy who coached Gilas that one time. Maybe you’ve heard of him.

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In college basketball, Ateneo has always been the one of the teams beset with the highest of expectations. Year after year, however, they always pull through with a Final Four finish. This year, expect nothing less than a nice flight from these Eagles. Such is The Ateneo Way. – Rappler.com