WILL Ateneo notch a fifth straight title or will it be a repeat of the outcome of the 2006 Finals?
The stage is set for another compelling showdown between the defending champions Blue Eagles and the UST Growling Tigers, as they disposed of separate foes in the Final 4 of the UAAP senior’s basketball competition.
The Tigers edged a young National University squad, while the Blue Eagles erased an 11-point lead heading into the fourth quarter to survive the De La Salle Green Archers. Thus, the Ateneo-UST encounter, a repeat of the 2006 Finals won in Cinderella fashion by the Tigers.
“This team is hungry, hungry for redemption and for that title,” said Pido Jarencio, who steered UST to the 2006 title on his first year as head coach. “The boys are raring to go and we are ready for the Finals.”
By the numbers
A team known for its comeback victories, the Growling Tigers won eight of their games this season with furious late-game rallies. The University of the East Red Warriors was the lone team they had beaten in lopsided fashion.
UST averaged 71.3 points per game (ppg), third-best in the league, while the Blue Eagles notched a league-best 74.4 ppg.
The Tigers averaged 74.9 ppg in their 10 wins and a measly 62.25 ppg in their four losses. Ateneo put in 74.58 ppg in its league-best 12 wins and a close 73.5 ppg in its two losses.
The Tigers’ trademark run-and-gun style was evident in their 9.8 fastbreak ppg. But even with its vaunted halfcourt offense, Ateneo was slightly better in this department with 10.9 ppg off fastbreaks.
Despite producing lower transition points, the Tigers topped the Eagles in turnover points with a league-best 17.2 ppg compared to Ateneo’s 12.9 ppg.
The Tigers, despite its smaller lineup with the Eagles, collected 44.2 rebounds per game (rpg), third-best behind La Salle and NU. UST complemented its rebounding totals with a league-best 17.14 average in offensive boards. Ateneo averaged 42.2 rpg and a league-worst 11.42 average on the offensive glass.
The Tigers averaged 11.1 second-chance points while the Eagles had only 8.6 despite the presence of big man Greg Slaughter.
The Tigers averaged 213 assists per game (apg) and a respectable assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.02. The Eagles have a slight advantage in the assist department with a total of 214 and an average of 15.3. But they turned the ball over 221 times resulting in a .96 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Both teams don’t exactly have the deepest of benches, based on points production.
UST finished fifth in the league in bench-scoring, 20.7 ppg. Ateneo was good only for seventh place.
Frontcourt timber
One of the premier matchups in the series is the clash of big boys down low. With a vastly-improved post-game and overall feel for the game, Most Valuable Player (MVP) runner-up Karim Abdul has proved to be a nightmare even for the bigger Slaughter.
The Cameroonian center consistently filled the stat sheets this year with 16.9 points per game (ppg) to go with a league-leading 12.2 rebounds per game(rpg.)—5.5 of which come from the offensive end, which also leads the league-. Slaughter averaged only 14.2 ppg and 9.6 rpg.
In their previous encounters this season, Abdul has successfully harassed Slaughter offensively with an array of post moves. Defensively, Abdul avoided needless fouls in defending Slaughter, an obvious adjustment from his play last season.
Expect a highly physical battle at the post between these two giants.
Going head-to-head in the power forward position are extremely versatile swingmen: UST’s Aljon Mariano and Ateneo’s Nico Salva. Both are unorthodox post players and both debunk the need for a traditional power forward with their effective style of play.
Mariano was once one singled out by Ateneo coach Norman Black as the biggest threat to the Blue Eagles’ “drive for five.” In their first meeting, Mariano, who averages 13.3 ppg and 7.1 rpg, lit up the basket with 21 points. But he was limited to 9 markers in their second game.
Salva, who produces 13.5 ppg. and 5.2 rpg. Salva is a reliable perimeter shooter with his patented spot-up jumpers, which accounts for most of his 48.6 field goal percentage.
Perhaps the most unpredictable match-up winner for this series is the one at the small forward position. Kevin Ferrer and Ryan Buenafe may not have the biggest roles in their respective teams but they do just about everything asked of them.
Buenafe’s presence in the court for Ateneo translates to an instant insertion of toughness and offense. Compared to past seasons, Buenafe’s stats have dipped to 6.0 ppg., 3.8 rpg., and 2.4 assits per game (apg.). In spite of these, he was still able to leave a mark on most of the games he played in, even making clutch shots in some them.
As for UST, Juniors MVP Kevin Ferrer’s transformation from a scorer to a defensive stopper has paid dividends for the Tigers. Ferrer has often been tasked by coach Pido Jarencio to guard the opposing team’s best player.
Despite averaging merely 5.1 ppg., Ferrer proves that he can still produce offensively by heating up against National University in their semi-final match with 17 points.
Backcourt cunning
By any means, the battle at the two-guard spot does not lack star power. It will pit UST’s Jeric Teng against Kiefer Ravena of Ateneo.
Teng averages 13.6 ppg and 4.3 rpg while Ravena norms 14.9 ppg., 4.9rpg., and 3.1 apg.
Juami Tiongson is a decent starter for Ateneo with 8.2 ppg., 3.1 rpg., and 3.4 apg., but a more experienced and hungrier Jeric Fortuna looks to finish his UAAP career with a championship for UST. Despite Fortuna averages 8.4 ppg., 5.1 rpg., 5.5 apg.
