Sweeping the UAAP-NCAA Challenge: The Blue Eagles' Show of Dominance

The Ateneo Blue Eagles of Coach Tab Baldwin did something last year that is both rare and unique: sweep the entire season with a 16-0 record to win their third straight UAAP championships in 4 years. Of course, that Ateneo team had Thirdy Ravena, Isaac Go, Matt and Mike Nieto, and Adrian Wong. Now? The Nieto brothers, Isaac Go, and Adrian Wong are preparing for the rookie season in the PBA while Thirdy Ravena is looking to play overseas while also helping Gilas Pilipinas prepare in the upcoming first window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers where the National Team will be facing Indonesia in their home court on February 23. Coach Tab Baldwin lost three starters and Isaac Go's ability to stretch the defense with his knack for shooting threes, especially during clutch time. 

Now, will the departure of Thirdy Ravena et al hurt the Blue Eagles' chances for a 4-peat in the upcoming Season 83 of the UAAP?

If you want an indication as what to expect during the upcoming UAAP season, just take a look at how Ateneo performed during the PCCL UAAP-NCAA Challenge where the Blue Eagles went perfect, en route to winning the UAAP-NCAA Challenge trophy while securing a PCCL Final 4 spot 

And no. Angelo Kouame wasn't dominant offensively as many would think he would be but yes, his rebounding and his shot-blocking abilities still does  wonders for the blue and white side. In fact, he had to battle Soulemane Chabi-Yo of the UST Growling Tigers- a match-up that Kouame won obviously. And UST, just like during the men's basketball season of the UAAP, brought the fight to the defending UAAP champions in their match-up until Ateneo's defense limited the Tigers to only 6 points in the final quarter.

In losing floor general Matt Nieto to graduation, the starting point guard spot has become an open race as Ateneo still has a whole lot of guards who could replace Nieto as Tab Baldwin's extension on the court. The most obvious choice would be Gian Mamuyac who many referred to as Ateneo's one-man Swiss army knife due to his ability to do almost everything other than scoring. In the three-game conquest of the UAAP-NCAA Challenge,  Mamuyac's offensive numbers aren't impressive but his ability to stretch the defense helps ease the pressure off Kouame and the rest of Ateneo's big men. And Mamuyac didn't have to score much as the Blue Eagles have more guys to do just that. Tyler Tio. Jason Credo. Troy Mallilin. And yes, the UAAP-NCAA Challenge provided us with the preview of what's to expect from Dwight Ramos. 

Dwight Ramos, one of Ateneo's prized along with his brother, Eli, has shown a glimpse of his future with Ateneo as he averaged 10 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in those three wins. In their beatdown of the Letran Knights, Dwight Ramos scored 16 points on 50% field goal shooting while finishing with 7 rebounds and 3 steals.

While Dwight Ramos has what it takes to become the next King Eagle, it won't happen this year as SJ Belangel's numbers have shown that he could be the next King Eagle. He scored over 25 points twice in the three games before being limited to 10 points by the Knights. That's just the beauty of Tab Baldwin's system. You can have one player play great in one game and then another player does the same in the next. "Next man mentality"

And Ateneo seems to have more than enough to compensate the departure of both Big Mike Nieto and Isaac Go as the PCCL Final 4 will provide an opportunity for Tab Baldwin to extend the playing minutes of Matthew Daves, Patrick Maagdenberg, and Geo Chiu. And yes, Will Navarro's efficiency has helped stabilize things for the Blue Eagles even though he wasn't scoring that much.

In short, the team who will face the Blue Eagles in the Final 4 of the PCCL will have a lot of things to figure out. 

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