Let’s throw away the stats book and lets see who among the final three will have the right to challenge the UE Red Warriors for this seasons UAAP finals.
UST Growling Tigers vs. Ateneo Blue Eagles
The reigning UAAP champs, the Growling Tigers, are once again out to prove their critics wrong during the initial stage of the season. Coach Pido Jarencio would love to have this situation. Have you seen his last post game interview? He believes he’s ready, he’s confident that he can pull it off one more time and his comments are borderline arrogant but that’s what the UST community like about him, his positive attitude and his faith in his players. With Jervy Cruz leading the way, with an MVP performance to boot plus a great cast, the Growling Tigers’ sortie is just beginning.
Why Ateneo will NOT win over UST? Again, let me make you remember. That game against the Bulldogs was no excuse. In that game, the Blue Eagles expected NU will just roll over and die. They don’t have to say it, it’s in their body language all game long. They didn’t have that aggression, that fire, the poise that made them who they really are – a prime candidate for this year’s finals. If they only had that same hard line poise in thier La Salle game with the Bulldogs, they won’t be in this predicament and the situation will be much simpler for the Blue Eagles.
Maybe, just maybe, but I hope I’m wrong, they wanted to have another crack at La Salle. They did it the hard way just to face La Salle? This attitude might confirm why the Blue Eagles will not ever, I say again, not ever win a championship title unless they face La Salle in a UAAP finals match. This might be the same kind of attitude why they lost to the Bulldogs. Ateneo needs its appetite of defeating their “archrival” and let the situation be handed to them in a silver platter, but it sounds like a movie fantasy doesn’t it. HELLLO!!! Earth calling “the” Ateneo!!!
Why will Ateneo WIN over UST? Simple, its motivation, its desire to once again face its “archrival”. Ateneo has worked long and hard during the off season to prepare for this? Just for your “archrival”. If I were La Salle I should be touched. I hope I’m wrong. I’ve heard it too – It’s ok to loose to any school, but not La Salle. I hope I’m wrong.
The De La Salle Green Archers
Started strong. Midway had a bump on the road. But managed to clinch the twice to beat advantage after their loss against UE. They almost had the win until JV Casio missed from the free throw line with 3.5 seconds left. But that’s history. The Green Archers are just waiting. The Green Archers are a battered. Rico Maierhofer has a frail ankle. Brian Ilad is now suspended. The back court will not be a problem for La Salle, but the availability of athletic big men to match up is thin and will pose some difficulties for Coach Franz Pumaren.
So who will challenge the UE Red Warriors for the UAAP Season 70 Title?
I have in my possession 20 Petron Shirts to be given for FREE if 20 people can predict the Red Warriors’ opponent in the UAAP Finals. Just send an email to mike@inboundpass.com and the first 20 correct answers will receive their Petron T-Shirt.
inboundpass.com Blog 
Four things for UST to win over ADMU:
1. Lessen the turnovers
2. Control the boards
3. Make the freethrows
4. Exploit the mismatches
Four things for ADMU to win over UST
1. Force UST guards to commit turnovers
2. Defend the perimeter
3. Box out Jervy Cruz
4. Hit the outside shots
To add to your list – to stop thinking about La Salle for awhile.
The streaks are against the Blue Eagles. They have lost 3 straight after a La Salle victory twice before. In the 2nd round, Ateneo beat La Salle then lost to NU and lost to La Salle. So if the streak follows suit then they have 1 more loss in the horizon.
For UST it is the curse of the host that will be haunting them. No host has ever won a basketball championship. La Salle did it, but had to return the trophy after the eligibility scandal and it was awarded to FEU.
My pick is Ateneo in a very close game.
This will be a very close game IMO. I’m rooting for Ateneo but you can’t bet against UST…
By the way, I just dont think UE is going to win it this year… I just have this feeling that whoever they face in the finals will cause an upset. Malakas ung three other teams and all are capable…
UST might break the curse this time but it’ll be in a hardest way. It has to take 5-6 games to grab yet another crown. Indeed for Ateneo, on sunday, it will be their ONE BIG FIGHT.
UE really is a great team. No wonder. But when it comes to the finals, you have to throw the records away and back to square one. It will be as if the season is just getting started. And so, my prediction would be, UE will find a hard time playing against any of these three teams. Experience wise, Coaches Norman, Pido and Franz have the edge since they already had the chance to be involved in a championship game. And this will be a big challenge for Coach Dindo.
UE is a tough nut to crack. I bet this team can beat any team in the pros right now.
On Sunday though De Javu would unfold as UST gets the same energy from their players and goes on the same run as they did last Monday en route to burying the Tams. Eagles beware, you chose the scare.
UE can beat any pro team right now? Hm… I have to disagree with you on that my friend. I even bet that UE can get beaten by ANY pro team. It’s a whole new level if you’re playing professionaly.
I guess UE can beat any collegiate team and probably some PBL teams… just keeping it real.
wye wrote:
“UE will find a hard time playing against any of these three teams. Experience wise, Coaches Norman, Pido and Franz have the edge since they already had the chance to be involved in a championship game. And this will be a big challenge for Coach Dindo.”
Coach Dindo has also been in the finals last year, remember… Thus, both Dindo and Pido have one championship appearance apiece. Tabla lang sila.
my take is gonna be UE vs. UST in the finals
btw my take is gonna be UE vs. UST in the finals.
Reload,
I’m talking about Finals. The Best of 3 series not the Final four. And Dindo has not experienced being into the Finals yet not until this season.
Like yours, I’m looking forward for UE vs. UST. But we can’t really tell for now. UST has yet to win 3 straight games.
ateneo, period.
a champion becomes a chamion after he passes the rocky path.
Dream on atenista. It’s gonna be La Salle.
yellow_we,
may championship experience na sa Coach Dindo .while he was playing for the green archer’s during the 80’s…hahaha
eh bakit natalo ang ADMU last year sa UST???eh walang Championship Experience ang UST nun..
walang kwenta ang championship experience kung BANO ang player mo…katulad nalang ni OJ CUA…
????
OJ Cua?
Green Minded,
I guess you should know being a player is far different from coaching. When he was playing w/ la salle during his time, all he had to do was to follow his coach then. Today is the reverse side of the story. He’s the one designing the plays and making everyone involved in the team. He’s the “father” of the warriors that whether they like it or not, his players should obey. As a coach, this would be his first time to be part of the finals. Well, UE deserves it anyway. I even named him as my pick for Coach of the Year for bringing his team to the finals right away with that amazing 14-0 record. But again, it’s not how you started the game, it’s how you ended it! And this came from Coach Dindo himself in his one of the interviews – “Aanhin mo and 14-0, kung hindi namin makukuha ang championship”
True, Coach Pido has no UAAP championship experience prior to winning the finals last year. But like what I was pointing out, Coach Pido had a hard time also. He had to beat UE for two straight games in the semis and ADMU for 3 games. As they say, “dumaan ng butas ng karayom”, despite of the fact that he’s just a rookie coach then. I’m not saying Coach Dindo will not get the win, I’m just saying it will be not an easy way this time in the finals whoever they are to meet. And this is just my opinion and I respect yours. Chill!
For me, a good coach is the one who can bring out the best of his players. The one who can make his players establish a winning attitude and can develop their true potential no matter how “BANO” they are. After all, I believe no team will recruit a player who is “BANO”, not unless there’s a certain role that such player has to play.
reload
Saturday, 22nd September 2007 at 5:07 am
wye wrote:
“UE will find a hard time playing against any of these three teams. Experience wise, Coaches Norman, Pido and Franz have the edge since they already had the chance to be involved in a championship game. And this will be a big challenge for Coach Dindo.”
Coach Dindo has also been in the finals last year, remember… Thus, both Dindo and Pido have one championship appearance apiece. Tabla lang sila.
— Dude, Yellow_we said this..not me. Also, he is right..Dindo hasn’t coached in the finals.
Hmm…how bout this Genom..in the future there be a pro team vs collegiate team game..much better a tourney!
HELLLO!!! Earth calling “the” Ateneo!!!
Congrats to “the” Ateneo Blue Eagles, for saying “Hello” back to earth.
One game at a time. Go Ateneo! One Big Fight!
Since Mr. Abasolo here made such a bold claim that our motivation is only to win against La Salle, well, I challenge my team to make Mr. Abasolo appear credible and take their game up a notch this Thursday. One game at a time.
Let Mr. Abasolo’s “fantasy movie” begin…
Go Ateneo! One big fight!
kids_of_the_dark_ages, nagtaka nga ako na yun ang sinabi sa article na ito. ang observation ko baligtad. kasi sino ba ang nag-aksaya ng panahon para gumawa nito –> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ctgUIqyaBk.
at sino ba nagchi-cheer ng “beat ateneo…”
diba lasalle?
sorry nakikisawsaw lang ako dito.
dear mister abasolo,
are these articles proofread before they are published? the grammar leaves much to be desired. (:
& isn’t it terribly presumptuous of you to think that ateneo played such a good game against ust only because they wanted to “face their archrival” once more? hello, earth to you. not every game in the uaap revolves around la salle, much less the ones they don’t participate in.
give the blue eagles some credit. the honest & unbiased discussion of sportsmanship has been sacrificed for snide remarks & cheap shots.
Hi Pat Pat,
Thanks for joining in. I have so many Atenean friends, I love them dearly and they know were i stand. Definitely the UAAP does not revolve around your rivalry neither. I said your so I’m not from La Salle. You have 2 games to make a difference in your campaign. After you get past DLSU, then what?
can you check your grammar pLease? PLEASE? and how bout ateneo choosing to go through aLL that hassLe just to face La saLLe? you’re too biased don’t you think? La saLLe students think highLy of themseLves aLready.
oh and patpat, the word presumptuous was a Lame attempt to show off your vocabuLary.
But what about the crowd chanting “we want Lasalle” after the UST game? Think about it, if it were, say, FEU you will be facing will you be chanting “we want FEU” or something like that? Cmon guys..
Mr. Abasolo,
If only for you, if we do get into the finals, we will try and go all the way and win a championship. Be touched.
But we’ll take it one game at a time. As for us diehards, we’ll cheer our team on because at the end of the day, win or lose, we will stand by our Blue Eagles. We will pick Arao and Zion, Chris and Yuri and Jai, and everyone in blue over Maierhofer, over Jervy, over Borboran, over everyone in red. We’ll be twisting and turning before every game and choose that over a 14-0.
Wye, yes, there was that chant but if you were in the stands, you will notice how quickly it died. If you looked at our faces, we were looking at each other saying “Talaga? Are you sure?” Bottomline is, we want our team to win. Over ANY team. All other teams, if possible. The rivalry with La Salle just adds oooompph to it all. I admit I’m in a better mood after a win against DLSU (or I’m in the pits after a loss) because there is just more heckling after given the equal number of diehards on both sides.
My officemate from UST, texted me “Congratulations!” after yesterday’s game. And those from the green side sent “Thank you, UST. You gave us a chance to beat Ateneo again.” I said a simple thanks to one and had quite a few burning exchanges with the other. That’s just the way it is.
Go Ateneo! One big fight!
“I’ve heard it too – It’s ok to loose to any school, but not La Salle. I hope I’m wrong.” – well then yes you are, jackpot ka!Dude, I think you meant “lose” as in “matalo” instead of “maluwag” – I was in Basic Filipino in Ateneo but at least I know this… Sus _ _!!
“yellow_we, may championship experience na sa Coach Dindo .while he was playing for the green archer’s during the 80’s…hahaha” – jackpot ka nanaman!! Dindo Pumaren was the one who balled his eyes out and fainted after losing to ateneo – as seen on national tv! This is actually my first memory of anything UAAP related. Priceless.
Kung sino man yun nag-post na “OJ CUA”, okay ka. Natawa ako dun sa post mo =)
But what about the crowd chanting “we want Lasalle” after the UST game? Think about it, if it were, say, FEU you will be facing will you be chanting “we want FEU” or something like that? Cmon guys..
-> Oo, baket?!?
Cmon..you know you wouldn’t chant that for any other team..but yes Atanacio was right..it did die down quickly..and also Congratulations.
Babble playing Go Uste last Sunday as we strolled off the aisles of the coliseum was reminiscent of the finals last year. Too bad we won’t reach it this year. Kudos to Norman Black for bringing out that Black magic we Tigers now fear.
THIS IS UE’s YEAR!!!
Hi Guys,
It’s now down to a single game on September 30. Who will it be? Who will take the final seat and try to beat the hell out of UE?
ADMU won over DLSU thus they have another game on Sept 30. Though I hate DLSU for being so arrogant while playing, it would be an easy game with DLSU. I hope that DLSU wins this game so that I could see DLSU in the first game for finals! UE has beaten DLSU easily for the past games compared to ADMU. Nonetheless, I know UE will give their Warrior Best!
Go Fight Red and White!
Go Fight Red and White!
Fight! Fight! Fight!
UE has an experience in a championship match. They’ve joined different tournaments as part off a warm up on this season. They also won championship together with Coach Dindo although this time the pressure is definetely at the highest point. Knowing Coach Dindo, he should have prepared his boys which he is doing since calling the shots for the Red Warriors.
I want the strongest possible team to face UE at the Finals. It’s definitely a toss up between the ADMU and the DLSU. By facing a tough opponent only will test the UE’s desire to win and the hard work of the coaching staff will really pay off.
Thus giving us fans the most exciting finals on the uaap.
Gusto kong makalaban ng UE ay ADMU…
Mga pikon kasi mga Lasalista, palibhasa desperado sila ngun (senior basketball team)kasi nga suspended sila last season. At least pag Ateneo ang kalaban sa finals magiging maganda ang mga laban kumpara sa DLSU na lalampasuhin lng ng warriors.
Lalo na si Mayerhoper (puro ka-angasan lng naman ang alam). Isama mo pa ung Ilad (ung boksingero na takbuhin).
Honestly, dismayadong dismayado ako sa performance ng La Salle coming from a one year suspension. Hinde pa ba cla natuto from last years’ suspension o kulang pa un?
Lam ko mananalo ateneo para mabigyan nila ng magandang laban ang UE red warriors….
See you at the finals Ateneo Blue Eagles…
Good Luck.