From the Dark, Into the Blue Light

It’s been a week now since the Ateneo Blue Eagles won their second straight UAAP Seniors Basketball Championship. A back-to-back feat that we all cherish, particularly since my college years were spent during the Dark Ages of Ateneo basketball. The early-mid nineties saw the program suffer through one- or two-win seasons, when archrivals La Salle would step all over our team, when my friends and I would go to Araneta Coliseum or Loyola Gym to cheer for a team that had one single bass drum from the Blue Babble Battalion to lead the cheers.

It was unfortunate that my years at the Katipunan Avenue campus were spent during this era because it was undoubtedly the lowest point in the storied history of the Ateneo de Manila’s proud basketball program. Yes, there were names such as Red Camua, Junie Rentosa, John Verayo, and the Sison Twins who tried their best to give us something to cheer for. But, in all honesty, those teams were just too weak, too short, too easy to push around by the likes of DLSU, UST, FEU, heck even UP was stronger than Ateneo then. Even the lowly National University Bulldogs, perennial UAAP whipping boys, could pull off wins against the Blue Eagles, effectively ripping our collective hearts out in the process. No amount of shouting “Fabilioh!” or “Get that ball!” could salvage our team from the bottom of the standings.

Why did we still watch? Because this was our team, this was our school, these were our classmates and friends who were playing for the school that we all loved so much. After all, not all of us were as skilled as they were on the court, not all of us could shoot as well or defend or rebound like they could, so those who were lucky enough to make it to the varsity team must have been so much better than us to merit having the words “ATENEO” emblazoned on their jerseys. If they were going to fight for us, the few of us who believed in them would cheer for them. Unfortunately in the 1990s, the losses were more than the wins.

Much has been said how Mr. Manny V. Pangilinan pumped money back into Ateneo and helped reinvigorate the dying basketball program. Here was a guy who loved our school as much as we did, but actually was willing to help finance the program so that they could recruit the best players possible to come to Loyola Heights. Through the efforts of MVP and former Jesuit Fr. Tito Caluag, Ateneo finally became a basketball powerhouse albeit through a painful, but ultimately rewarding route. In 2001, a team led by Rico Villanueva, Rich Alvarez, Paul Tan-Chi, and Wesley Gonzales entered the UAAP Finals for the first time since the Eagles won it all in 1988. We lost to the hated De La Salle Green Archers.

In 2002, when it seemed that ACL injuries to Magnum Membrere and Paolo Bugia in the preseason looked like it would once again doom the blue-clad faithful, Villanueva, Alvarez, LA Tenorio, Ebok Quimpo, and Larry Fonacier instead delivered the long-awaited title back to our aerie. Gec Chia delivered the most unforgettable shot I’ve ever seen, a jumper over UE in the Final Four that would bring us to the Finals against our long time rivals. Winning it against La Salle only made the victory sweeter, especially since it seemed as if the Green Archers always seemed to be the team that stood in our way, the team that would laugh in our faces because we just weren’t good enough, the squad who would recruit the top talent in the country because it seemed as if they had bottomless pockets. It was indeed a magical time for we who had lived through the Dark Ages as we could finally hold our heads high once more as sportscaster Mico Halili screamed “Once again, the Blue Eagle is King of the UAAP!” From my seat in the General Admission section of the historic Araneta Coliseum, I cried with my brother Jek and my old friend Homer over this title. I truly felt like I could have died in peace already because I saw an Ateneo championship live, and it wasn’t a dream.

That 2002 team coached by Joel Banal went on to have their own UAAP Championship DVD produced, as well as countless TV and newspaper appearances. Each of those young men would forever live in Ateneo lore as individuals who broke the long title drought and renewed our faith that praying and believing that our team could win a title was indeed possible. Of course, being Ateneans, we were greedy. We wanted another title the following season. The Eagles, without the graduated Villanueva, made it to the Finals by stomping La Salle in the Final Four, but couldn’t stop the powerhouse FEU Tamaraws of Arwind Santos.

2004 was a year that began with promise, but quickly ended in tragedy when team captain Larry Fonacier suffered a season-ending ACL injury (yes, that dreaded knee injury once again) against UP in the first round. Ateneo returned to the Finals in 2006, this time led by legendary American coach Norman Black, in a season that saw La Salle suspended for academic violations. Despite leading UST in the Finals 1-0 after Doug Kramer’s unforgettable buzzer-beater, the Blue Eagles fell to the Growling Tigers 2-1 in Game 3 in the last game for Kramer, JC Intal, and Macky Escalona. The last connection to the 2002 Championship team was now gone.

I hardly remember the 2007 campaign because that was the year my father died and my girlfriend left to study abroad. Despite having a weak team, the Blue Eagles led by Chris Tiu and Ford Arao still made it to the playoffs, only to be defeated by La Salle (who went on to win the championship after serving their suspension).

Last year, I saw something unbelievable: an Ateneo basketball team that just couldn’t be beaten. The 2008 version of the Blue Eagles suffered one loss throughout the season, one fucking loss to FEU in round 1. They had an overall record of 16-1, including the regular season, the Final Four, and the Finals against La Salle. Everything came together for Coach Norman Black’s crew as Chris Tiu provided the steady leadership while Rabeh al-Hussaini had his coming our party and brought home a regular season MVP award in the process. But it was Nonoy Baclao’s defense that stood out throughout the tournament. His crippling block of DLSU big man Rico Maierhofer in Game 1 encapsulated the Ateneo credo for everyone to see: defense wins championships. Baclao would be awarded the 2008 Finals MVP award, and basketball glory was ours once again.

When the dust had settled and the championship was won over La Salle, a lot of us who watched the series-clincher in Araneta Coliseum braved the rains and the lack of a proper dinner to go back to the Ateneo campus and celebrate the way only we can: with a thanksgiving mass at the Church of the Gesu. We didn’t mind getting a bit wet, we just wanted to give thanks for this team that excelled and sacrificed in order to bring home the title to Loyola Heights. It was definitely still a sweet feeling to win that title, though I will always say that 2002 was still the best of them all due to the 14-year gap and it being the first that I witnessed live. I wanted to see the traditional Ateneo Bonfire celebration because I missed the one from 6 years before due to work. Despite the horrendous traffic and the muddy Bellarmine Field, I didn’t mind so much. After all, championships are such a rare commodity, I wanted to make sure I relished every moment to the last drop.

For this 2009 UAAP Championship, it was again another dominant season for the Blue Eagles. If somebody had told me when I graduated college in 1996 that the day would come that the Ateneo team would lose a combined three games in two UAAP seasons, I probably would have died laughing. But that is exactly what this team did. After losing to UP, Coach Norman’s lads went to work, rattling off 12 straight wins before UE tripped them up in Game 2 of the Finals. The tried and tested formula of giving the ball inside to al-Hussaini while Jai Reyes took his outside jumpers and Eric Salamat forced turnovers worked as the back-to-back titles were secured in a 71-58 rout. Again we went home to the Ateneo, but this time, my brother and I made sure to get take-out food first. We were becoming veterans of championship celebrations, something I definitely didn’t mind.

I was too tired to go to this year’s Bonfire, and honestly, I didn’t really feel like going anymore. I’ve been to one, it was more than enough. What mattered most to me was that I was at the games live, cheering “One big fight!” as my team won their second straight title. I lived through those dark times, now I can truly appreciate the blazing Blue and White hue of a championship trophy. The novelty of an Ateneo championship still hasn’t worn off as I know that I’ll be at the forefront of the screaming and cussing all over again next year. Ateneo Blue Eagles: Back-to-Back UAAP Champions. Who would’ve thunk it?