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| Pre-game routines |
“13-1, 13-1, 10-4, 13-1, 12-2,” is the
win-lose (W-L) record of the Ateneo De Manila Blue Eagles from the UAAP seasons
71-75. These are the seasons when the Ateneo Blue Eagles achieved the
remarkable feat of winning five championships in five consecutive years. This
year, UAAP season 76, our starting record is at two wins and four loses, which
is the worst start for the fight for the UAAP crown in the past six years.
However not all is lost. There is still a chance for the Eagles to earn a
position in the prestigious “TOP 4,” the
4 best teams in that season that will battle for the crown in a form of a
semi-finals and finals method.
“The UAAP is different in a lot of ways. It is
probably the biggest collegiate league in the Philippines,” said Anton Asistio,
one of the newest members of the Blue Eagles. Asistio , who is currently in his
first year majoring in management in communications and technology, says, “lots
of people watch and support their schools all the time so the atmosphere is
definitely different from the other leagues.” Simply saying that the UAAP is a
different type of league from other tournaments that are seen in the
Philippines
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| Araneta Ticket Stub |
On July 21,
2013, the Blue Eagles returned to winning ways, defeating the University of the
Philippines 72-64. It was a sigh of relief after the Eagles lost four games out
of the first five of the season. Going to the next game, the Blue and White had
momentum; however this was going to be no easy task. They were to go against
the team with the crowd that cheered the famous “Go USTe” chant with pride.
July 27, 2013,
having the statistics stacked against them, Ateneo having a record of “2-4” and
University of Santo Tomas (UST) a record of “3-3”, this was going to be no easy
game for the blue shirts. But even after this grueling 40 minute game filled
with numerous fouls and baskets, against the odds, the blue eagles grinded it
out , winning by a slim margin, 61-57.
According to Gio Tantoco, A
first year student studying in the course of Management of Communications and
Technology ,“It is always a good feeling be watching a game live, the
atmosphere around you is different from when watching it on television. You
really feel the game and the emotions of the crowd and the players.”
Gio, who received his grade
school and high school education in Ateneo, has been a proud supporter of the
Blue Eagles as long as he remembers. Cheering his heart out in all games and
making sure his team receives the support they need. “. There is no such thing
as cheering half-heartedly; I cheer my heart out every game. If there is a game
where I still have my voice after it, I am deeply disappointed in myself,”
Tantoco states.
Yes, watching a
game live is extremely different from watching a game televised. The atmosphere
of hearing everybody cheering for the team they support and heckling towards
the opponents brings a different sense of school pride. The game versus UST was the first game I
witnessed this season and I must say it did not disappoint.
The game
happened at the Araneta Coliseum, a location that has housed numerous and
historic UAAP games. Although Araneta is not as top-class as the newer Mall of
Asia Arena, it has undergone renovations where in the appearance of the
coliseum looked much more appealing than before.
Unlike before,
each ticket now has a respective seat; however this did not stop the chanting
and cheering of the crowd, supporting their respective alma maters. Dividing
the area surrounding the court in two, Blue and Yellow, the crowd cheered as
their respective first five came on. The blue sea cheering and roaring as
Ravena, Tiongson, Newsome, Buenafe and Golla stepped on the court, and UST
crowd was doing the same for theirs.
JUMPBALL
and the game was on!
First two points
going in favor of UST, however Ateneo answered quickly with a two from Golla. A
numerous exchange of baskets happened wherein a number of shots being contested
and others were converted. However the Eagles seemed to be more aggressive than
the growling tigers, taking advantage of their opportunities. This quarter
showed why the Blue Eagles were the defending champions, outplaying and
outsmarting the tamed Tigers, ending the quarter 19-6.
The blue sea
seemed to be restless, finally witnessing their team playing like champions. It
was amazing hearing “ONE BIG FIGHT” being cheered in unison by hundreds if not
thousands of fans and supporters.
In the second
quarter the Tigers seemed to be back on their feet. Taking advantage of open opportunities
and the mistakes of the men in blue, they reduced the 13 point lead to a
smaller margin of 6. With Aljon Mariano heating up and scoring majority of his
game high 16 points in the second quarter. With the Tigers scoring numerous
three and the crowd chanting in perfect unison “Go UST,” the Blue Eagles’
defense seemed to be breaking down. Luckily the quarter was
Halftime, the
time for the teams to have their respective strategies and plans organized for
the next half. The audience would buy their food and drinks outside the playing
area or watch the halftime shows of both teams during this period of time. In
this particular day, I opted to watch the show.
It’s now part of
the tradition wherein both cheering squads battle it out during half time to
bring out the energy from their supporters. The Blue Babble Battalion came out
first starting with cheerleaders doing their routines, wherein they do flips
high off the ground to the beat of the drums. Afterwards a more traditional
approach was done, cheering their traditional cheers such as “Blue Eagle
Spelling,” all of this to please and entertain the crowd of blue supporters.
The next show was the routine of the UST Yellow Jackets, doing the same for
their respective audience
With halftime
over, the audiences were back to their seats and players back in the court, the
ball game was set to resume. The 3rd quarter has started. Unlike how
the 2nd quarter went, the game seemed to be more even, each team
making their respective shots and contesting the opponents’ shots. However
there was one instance that shook the balance off the game, giving the
advantage to the Ateneo faithful. From a quick play coming from Ryan Buenafe,
Chris Newsome, receiving the pass explosively dunked over Karim Abdul, a man
with a height of around 6”7’ and a very built quality. Newsome, around 6”1’ in
height single handedly brought the whole ateneo crowd to their feet, making
them scream and shout from the amazing dunk. This tilted all the momentum to
the Blue Eagles, nothing fazed them. Not even an impressive jam made by UST
player, Clark Bautista changed the flow of the game. The Eagles adding to their
lead, ended the quarter 47-39
The blue sea was
roaring to get back into the game, seemingly they couldn’t wait for the 4th
quarter to start and watch the Eagles do more damage. However the Tigers seemed
to be like a wounded animal fighting for its life. They did not back down to
the reigning UAAP champions. They shot a barrage of threes, and scored in
numerous drives to the basket majority of which was being led UST sub, Eduardo
Daquioag and Clark Bautista. Heart-stopping events filled the final quarter.The
crowd of blue was in panic, because their large lead of of 8 was now cut to 2
in the last 20 seconds of the final quarter. However, even with the relentless
attack of the growling tigers, the eagles held on, finishing the game with a
win, with the score 61-57.
The game was
over. Shocked by the late assault of the growling tigers, the Eagles seemed to
be thankful for being able to withstand and hold their lead. Traditionally the
whole ateneo crowd and their players sang their school hymn loud and proud,
hoping this game would lead to better brighter days to come for the team
Despite the
numerous moments of brilliance, this game seemed to be difficult for the Men in
Blue. It may be because of the fact that the UAAP is a different kind of
college ball game. It could be because of the different level of crowd
participation. It could also be because the prestige of being a UAAP champion
has to offer.
Mikaela
Pamatmat, a freshman Majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies says, “Coming from a
non-UAAP school, I was first indifferent to these events but as you slowly get
the feel of college, you would feel the thrill of watching games like
basketball and what not. And when it comes to UAAP, for most students,
including high school students and even alumni, it's a big event, and some
might even think it's the ‘big league’ and the players chosen to play are the
cream of the crop”
Asistio did say
that there is a big difference playing in the college and high school levels of
the UAAP, “The players are more skilled and mature in
college. They are bigger, stronger, faster, more athletic, plus there are
imports now which makes the competition a lot tougher compared to high school.”
Watching
the Eagles play did not disappoint at all. Joining the flow of hundreds of
people exiting the stadium, I could not stop thinking of the game that just
happened. I couldn’t wait to watch another UAAP game of the Blue Eagles.
Tantoco did say, “Every game is an important game.
Your team needs your support not when everyone is there to give it, but when no
one is.”
I would gladly
lend my voice to chant and cheer for the Eagles. Would you? So, mark your
calendars for August 17, 2013. Support your Eagles as they start the second
round of elimination against the UP
Fighting Maroons in Mall of Asia Arena. OBF
Credits to Philip Sison and Raddy Mabasa for the pictures
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