Ateneo's Dominance in the PCCL: A Warning to the UAAP

The San Beda Red Lions were able to limit the usually high-scoring Ateneo Blue Eagles to just five points in the third quarter of the Philippine Collegiate Champions' League (PCCL) Finals yesterday but in the end, the Blue Eagles turned things around in the final quarter as their defense limited San Beda to just five points. And that was the second time in the same game that Ateneo's defense limited an opponent to a single-digit output as the Red Lions only managed eight points in the second quarter

Again, yesterday's game proved that Ateneo's reign is never in question as the Blue Eagles nabbed their second straight PCCL championship with a 57-46 win over the Red Lions who couldn't get over the hump even after leading as much as six points.

While their 57-point performance isn't exactly the kind of score one would expect from a team that has multiple scorers in their line-up,  the Blue Eagles, in their road towards a 16-0 finish in last season's University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men's basketball tournament, had a number of games where they were limited below their scoring average and yet, they managed to come out victorious. Every single time. Of course, that Ateneo team had Thirdy Ravena, Isaac Go, Andrian Wong, and the Nieto twins of Mike and Matt. 

Ateneo may have lost three key starters from last season's championship team and yet, they finished the PCCL tournament with another unbeaten record. How?

For one, the Blue Eagles, since Tab Baldwin took over at the helm, have a "next man up" mentality which means if one player is struggling to get things going on the offensive end, every man on the bench must step up to pick up the slack. And that was evident not just in yesterday's game but in the entire PCCL tournament.

And yes, yesterday's championship game was the best example of Ateneo's employing their "next man up" mentality. With SJ Belangel limited to just 10 points on four for 11 field goal shooting, it was Angelo Kouame's time to remind every college basketball team in the country that when he's playing at his best, Ateneo is virtually unstoppable. Kouame finished with 17 points, 17 rebounds, a steal, and a block. All of that in 27 minutes. Again, it was never in question.

SJ Belangel, even though he had his lowest-scoring output of the PCCL tournament, was still hailed as this year's Most Valuable Player of the championship game thus sending a clear message, perhaps a warning to the other UAAP teams that Belangel is ready to stake the Blue Eagles to greater heights anew once the UAAP season kicks off.

And while Dwight Ramos, one of Ateneo's prized recruits, didn't play yesterday, this year's PCCL tournament has proven that Dwight Ramos is more than just about the hype. He can play ball. He was even included in the final line-up of Gilas Pilipinas against Indonesia last month. If anything, Dwight Ramos will be a problem for other UAAP teams.

What is scarier is the fact that this might not be the final Ateneo we'll be seeing in the UAAP and even if this is the same team that Tab Baldwin will be fielding for Season 83, and they will dominate every single game, it will never be in question. Ateneo will win a fourth straight UAAP title. 

Photo is from the Facebook page of the PCCL