University of the East’s UAAP title futility has to wait another year or probably longer.
Ateneo's One-Big-Fight this season is punctuated by One-Big-Celebration after winning Game 3, 71-58
For Ateneo, the sea of blue and white are now celebrating inside the Big Dome after winning its second back-to-back UAAP championships at the expense of UE this afternoon, 71-58.
With Far Eastern University out of the picture after being booted out by UE during their Final Four match, I honestly felt Ateneo has the inside track for the title and the repeat.
And the Blue Eagles did.
Humbled by 20 points in that Game 2 meltdown that saw the Red Warriors fire from all angles, this time, the Blue Eagles were prepared from the start and were able to maintain their intensity to the finish.
I think coach Norman Black was able to bring out the best from his players this time as evidenced by their aggressiveness, the hustle, the precision passing plus the clutch three-point shooting of guard Jai Reyes and the Ateneo’s “sixth man”—the crowd. All these factors worked wonders for the Blue Eagles in Game 3.
Ateneo registered its first back-to-back UAAP championships during the 1987 and 1988 seasons, that was 21 years ago.
I just felt sorry for UE, which has reached the UAAP Finals two times in the last three years, but still ended the season empty-handed.
Our U-Belt ENCM campus missionary Paul Herrera, who used to serve as the UE student council president was wondering if his discipleship group tonight would still push through, considering that his leaders (most of them coming from UE) are all at Araneta Coliseum to witness the horrific Finals loss of the Red Warriors.
UE has yet to taste the sweet aroma of a UAAP championship since its last title happened via back-to-back championships in the 1984 and 1985 seasons.
PBA legends Allan Caidic and Jerry Codinera both spearheaded the title romp in those fruitful campaigns and ably supported by a strong cast of defensive players like Boycie Zamar (who handled the team early this decade) as well as Orli Javier, now a successful businessman and an active member of Victory Ortigas.
Pastor LA Mumar and to all my Ateneo friends and supporters, congrats!
Photo Source: http://img502.imageshack.us/i/spo1hx9.jpg/