Ateneo Blue Eagles - Sports - Basketball - Champion Seasons Highlights

Champion Seasons Highlights

UAAP Season 50 (A.Y. 1987-88)
Finals
As the top seed, Ateneo had to win only once, while number 2 seed University of the East had to win twice to clinch the championship.

UE started strong in game 1, taking a 51–38 lead at halftime. The Red Warriors extended their lead to 20 points at 83–63 in the second half. Ateneo then had a 22–2 run sparked by a three-point shot of Jet Nieto to tie the game at 85–all. However, it was not until the last 1 minute and 43 seconds that the Blue Eagles tasted the lead for the first time on baskets by Nieto and Jun Reyes, 92–86. The Red Warriors, proud holders of 18 UAAP basketball championship titles were not ready to give up the fight. UE tied the score anew at 92–all on free throws in the last minute of the game. In the ensuing play, a driving Nonoy Chuatico was blocked. An intentional foul was called on a UE player that gave Chuatico two charities and ball possession to Ateneo. After Chuatico split his free-throws, ball possession was given to Ateneo and the Blue Eagles went to dribble the time away. With three seconds left, Eric Reyes drove to the basket and was fouled. Reyes split his free throws, good enough to seal Ateneo's victory with the final score of 94-92. This win clinched for the Blue Eagles their first UAAP championship since joining the league in 1978. It was a tough win for the Blue Eagles as they played without their prized center 6' 6" Danny Francisco, who was recuperating from surgery on his lungs. The victory was fashioned before a predominantly Ateneo crowd of 7,000 at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

UAAP Season 51 (A.Y. 1988-89)
Ateneo abandoned its game against the University of the Philippines (UP) with the Fighting Maroons leading 83–69 and with 1 minute and 21 seconds left in the game when a melee broke out. It was caused by Ateneo's Joseph Canlas tripping a UP player. This resulted in the two players trading punches which led to a bench-clearing incident by the other players from both sides. An unidentified spectator who fired a gun to break up the fight was accosted by the UP baseball coach who happened to be a police officer. As an aftermath of the incident, an ejection penalty was slapped on Ateneo's Canlas.

A UAAP rule penalized Ateneo with a game forfeiture and no point earned (a loss under ordinary circumstances merited one point and two points for a win). However, Ateneo coach Fritz Gaston appealed the decision which the UAAP Board granted, ruling the game as an ordinary loss for Ateneo and giving them one point.

Finals
Ateneo clinched the twice-to-beat advantage in the elimination round finale where the Blue Eagles beat the Green Archers 85-83. This game served as the de facto Game 1 of the best-of-3 series against La Salle.

In Game 2 of the best-of-3 series, Ateneo had to claw their way back from a ten-point deficit midway in the first half, 21–11. After the Blue Eagles have recovered, they kept the score close from then on. The smell of victory came in the last four minutes when the Blue Eagles wiggled out of the game's last deadlock at 66-all with a decisive 8-2 run that moved them in front, 74-68 going into the last two minutes of the game. Joseph Canlas scored four of Ateneo's eight points run, which ended with a Jun Reyes conversion off a steal from an archer. La Salle managed to close the gap to four points, 74-70 with free throws off Jet Nieto's foul. At this juncture, the Blue Eagles put a defensive lid on the Green Archers' ensuing plays, preventing La Salle from scoring. Ateneo had the last ball possession and wisely used up the clock. Danny Francisco, a 6' 6" revelation then iced the contest with two free throws off an Archer's foul for the final count, 76-70, giving Ateneo the win and a successful defense of their crown. Their back-to-back title run was their fourth in post-war years and their first in the UAAP basketball tournament.

UAAP Season 65 (A.Y. 2002-03)
In Season 65, Ateneo had a new head coach as Joel Banal took over from Joe Lipa whose coaching contract expired at the end of Season 64 (2001–02). The Blue Eagles started the season strong but after which they suffered one to many losses. By the early part of the second round of eliminations they were sporting a 4-5 win-loss record. However, they were able to turn around this losing record when they won their last 5 games to end the elimination round with a 9-5 win-loss record which gave them the third seed in the Final Four.

Final Four
In the Final Four, the Blue Eagles faced second seed UE Warriors, which had a twice-to-beat advantage. In the first game, they beat UE, 84-78. The second game on September 22, 2002 was a close one. It was tied at 70 with 7.8 seconds left. A crucial turnover by a Red Warrior gave possession of the ball to the blue shirts. With time running down, Gec Chia received a pass from LA Tenorio and converted a last second shot, sending the Blue Eagles into the Finals, 72-70.

Finals
In Game 1 versus the Green Archers on September 26, 2002, the Blue Eagles were down 52-60 at the start of the fourth quarter. A three-point shot by Larry Fonacier and back-to-back fastbreak plays by Sonny Tadeo and LA Tenorio cut La Salle's lead to one, 59-60. Near the end of the fourth quarter, Ateneo was able to grab the lead. Enrico Villanueva then made a crucial three-point play which increased their lead, 69-64. With just 9.2 seconds left in the game and the Blue Eagles leading, 72-70, Green Archer Mac Cardona had the ball and a chance to either go for the tie or for the win. However, Larry Fonacier blocked both of Cardona's two attempts, sealing the Blue Eagles' win.

In Game 2 on September 29, 2002, La Salle won, 85-77, despite the 25 points of Ateneo's Larry Fonacier. The series was tied at 1-1.

In the deciding third game of the championship series on October 5, 2002, both teams were hot with their three-point shooting. The fourth quarter saw the Blue Eagles leading, 70-62, with 2 minutes left. A three-pointer by Epok Quimpo increased the lead to 11 and sent the Ateneo crowd, sensing victory, into a frenzy. The Blue Eagles ended their fairytale season with the final score 77-70. Fonacier was Finals MVP together with Wesley Gonzales.

UAAP Season 71 (A.Y. 2008-09) Double Championship
Seniors
In season 71, the Blue Eagles were unbeaten past the mid-way of the 1st round of eliminations. During their sixth game of the season on July 31, 2008, their 5-game winning streak was halted by a loss to the FEU Tamaraws, 72-66, despite Rabeh Al-Hussaini's 33 points and 20 rebounds. Since this was the sole loss of the Blue Eagles in the first round of eliminations, they topped the standings, with a 6-1 win-loss record. They went on to sweep the second round of eliminations, ending their regular season atop the standings with a 13-1 win-loss record and a twice-to-beat advantage in the Final 4 round. It also put them on record as having swept all their opponents except FEU in the elimination rounds.

In the Final Four, the Blue Eagles routed the UE Red Warriors in game 1 of the semifinals, 70-50, to advance to the Finals. In Game 1 of the Finals, they beat the La Salle Green Archers with a score of 69-61. The game was dominated by Rabeh Al-Hussaini, season 71 MVP, who scored 31 points. The Blue Eagles were crowned the UAAP season 71 champions after beating the Green Archers again in Game 2, 62-51. It marked the third time in four title meetings that the Blue Eagles bested the Green Archers. The Blue Eagles also completed a sweep of the Green Archers in their four meetings in Season 71.

Ateneo won all the individual UAAP awards for Season 71 in the men's basketball category. Rabeh Al-Hussaini won the season MVP Award and the Most Improved Player Award. Nonoy Baclao garnered the Finals MVP Award and the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Ryan Buenafe was chosen Rookie of the Year. Chris Tiu bagged the Maaasahan Player of the Year Award. Ryan Buenafe and Nico Salva were in the All-Rookie Team. Finally, Chris Tiu and Al-Hussaini were in the Mythical Five.

Juniors
The Blue Eaglets finished the eliminations tied with De La Salle Zobel, both with a 12-2 win-loss record. However, they earned the No.1 seed in the Final Four due to a higher quotient. The Blue Eaglets defeated the Adamson Baby Falcons 78-45 to earn a slot in the UAAP Juniors' Basketball Finals. They swept the FEU-FERN Baby Tamaraws in the Finals, 72-62 and 71-60, to win their 15th UAAP title.

UAAP Season 72 (A.Y. 2009-10) Back-to-Back Double Championship
Seniors
First Round Eliminations
On the second day of the opening games last July 12, 2009, the Blue Eagles began the defense of their crown with a close 63-59 win over the highly favored FEU Tamaraws. In their second game which was against the UE Red Warriors on July 16, 2009, they rallied from a 17-point deficit and went on to beat the Warriors by 15 points, 72-57. Reigning Most Valuable Player Rabeh Al-Hussaini led all scorers with 27 points. In game 3, the Blue Eagles routed the UST Growling Tigers, 93-77. Point guard Emman Monfort, who was recalled for duty in UAAP season 72 from Team B, did the most damage to the Growling Tigers with his 6 treys and a career-high 20 points. This winning streak was stopped by a loss to the UP Fighting Maroons, 58-68, on July 26, 2009. After this loss, the Blue Eagles were again on a winning mode. They defeated the Adamson Falcons, 61-51 on July 30, 2009, the NU Bulldogs, 75-47 on August 1, 2009 and the De La Salle Green Archers in overtime, 76-72, on August 9, 2009, to end the first round of eliminations on top of the standings with a 6 wins 1 loss record.

Second Round Eliminations
The Blue Eagles swept the second round of eliminations. In their first game of the second round, Rabeh Al-Hussaini led the Blue Eagles with 30 points and 12 rebounds to an 80-75 victory over the UE Red Warriors. Their second game played on August 16, 2009 was another win, an 81-65 victory over the De La Salle Green Archers. After this win, the Blue Eagles were victorious again as they defeated the UST Growling Tigers, 80-70, led by Kirk Long with 21 points. This was followed by their 25th straight win over the Adamson Falcons, 61-52. In their next game a week later, the Blue Eagles defeated the UP Fighting Maroons, 93-75. After that, in the last game of the eliminations, the Blue Eagles came back from an 18-point deficit in the third quarter to win over the FEU Tamaraws, 74-73. The Blue Eagles ended the eliminations with a 13-1 win-loss record and secured the top Final Four seed.

Final Four
The Ateneo Blue Eagles held a twice-to-beat advantage over their Final Four opponent, the UST Growling Tigers. However, the Blue Eagles did not have to use this advantage as they put on a strong start and a stronger finish in defeating UST, 81-64, to claim the first finals slot in the 72nd UAAP men's basketball tournament. They won even without one of their key players, power forward Nico Salva, who was suspended for throwing a punch at one of the FEU players in their last game of the elimination round. This win gave the Blue Eagles a second straight finals appearance, their third under the leadership of coach Norman Black.

Finals
The Blue Eagles faced the UE Red Warriors in the best-of-three Finals. Before the start of Game One of the championship series, three Blue Eagles were given special awards. Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Eric Salamat were recognized as the UAAP Jollibee Doubles Duo, Nico Salva was given the KFC UAAP Sixth Man of the Year award, and Eric Salamat was awarded the PS Bank UAAP Maaasahan Player of the Year. In Game One, the Blue Eagles recovered after their 17-point lead was erased by the UE Red Warriors by halftime, and went on to defeat the Red Warriors, 78-71. In Game Two, in spite of their regaining the lead at halftime, the Blue Eagles were defeated by the UE Red Warriors, 68-88. However, in Game Three, the Blue Eagles relied on an uptempo and aggressive offense anchored on fast break plays and played tight defense to secure an early lead. They pressed the Red Warriors without let up to win the championship, 71-58. This marked the second time the Blue Eagles won back-to-back championships since they won against UE and La Salle in 1987 and 1988, respectively. With this win, Ateneo registered its first back-to-back double championships in the UAAP, a feat which was last accomplished during their 1975 and 1976 double championships in the NCAA.

Juniors
The Ateneo Blue Eaglets opened their season with back-to-back losses first to the De La Salle Zobel Junior Archers, then to the UST Tiger Cubs. The Eaglets lost two more games in the second round. They ended the elimination round with a 10-4 win-loss record and were seeded third in the Final Four where they faced the UST Tiger Cubs which had a twice-to-beat advantage. The Blue Eaglets won their Final 4 series with the Tiger Cubs and entered the Finals for the fourth consecutive year. They had now to defend their crown against the top-seeded DLSZ Junior Archers. The Blue Eaglets took Game 1, 80-73, a game highlighted by Kiefer Ravena's 33 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 4 blocks. However, in Game Two, Ravena's output was limited, and the Blue Eaglets lost as La Salle went on a 14-2 run in the latter portion of the fourth quarter to end the game, 57-53. However in Game 3, the Blue Eaglets maintained a lead in the endgame to finally clinch the title with a win, 61-56, giving them their sixth back-to-back championship title.

UAAP Season 73 (A.Y. 2010-11) Three-Peat Double Championship
Seniors
Compared to the previous two seasons, Season 73 saw the Blue Eagles less dominant. The Blue Eagles started the season flat as they lost their opening game against FEU. They went on to lose three more games in the course of the elimination rounds. The losses included one to arch-rival La Salle in the first round, a secound round loss to UE and another loss to FEU in the Eagles' last game of the eliminations. They ended the elimination round with a 10-4 win-loss record, good enough for the second seed in the Final Four round.

Final Four
The Blue Eagles faced an Adamson Falcons squad determined to exact payback for their elimination-round defeats in game one of their Final Four series. After a close match in the first few minutes of the game, Ateneo erected a 10-point lead after the first quarter, 22-12 and ending the half 39-29. During the second half, the Blue Eagles increased their lead to 18, 60-42, and went on to win, 68-55. The win, the 28th in a UAAP win streak over Adamson dating back to 1997, sent them to the Finals for the third straight year, this time against the FEU Tamaraws.

Finals
The Blue Eagles had yet to beat the Tamaraws in Season 73. FEU was favored to repeat their elimination rounds victories over Ateneo in the Finals. However, in Game 1 of the Finals, the Blue Eagles relied on their defense, rebounds, and fast-break plays to erect what proved to be an insurmountable 20-6 lead midway through the first quarter, which ended with Ateneo leading by an 18-point margin, 26-8. In the second period, Ateneo continued to outscore FEU, ending the half with a score double FEU's points, 42-21. The second half saw the Blue Eagles increase their lead to a high of 26 points, 47-21, before going on to win, 72-49.

An embarrassed FEU squad sought to avoid a repeat of the Game 1 rout by pounding the Blue Eagles early on in Game 2. FEU led throughout the first quarter, ending it with Ateneo down by 9, 22-13. The Tamaraws increased their lead to 11 in the early part of the second period, 24-13 but the Blue Eagles were able to cut the deficit by 1 at the end of the first half, 31-30. FEU increased again its lead, 40-34, early in the third quarter. However, the Blue Eagles responded with their own scoring run to retake the lead at 52-48, and ended the third quarter leading 52-50. The fourth quarter featured several lead changes before Ateneo went on a 6-0 scoring run to lead by 5, 61-56, mainly due to Ryan Buenafe's plays in the paint. FEU cut the lead to 2 points, 61-59, through free throws. Then, Buenafe buried a 3-point shot on an isolation play to increase the lead to 5, 64-59. The shot proved to be the game-winner as FEU was unable to overcome Ateneo's lead. In the ensuing play, Bacon Austria was fouled and converted one free throw to further increase the lead, 65-59. A final basket by FEU did not alter the outcome as the Blue Eagles went on to win, 65-62. Ryan Buenafe was named the Finals MVP. This was Ateneo's third straight UAAP title, its first post-war and UAAP 3-peat. This also gave Ateneo the only double 3-peat in UAAP and NCAA combined history.

Juniors
The Blue Eaglets had a dominant season, sweeping the elimination round, 14-0. This gave them an outright Finals slot and a thrice-to-beat advantage against their eventual opponents, the UST Tiger Cubs. The Blue Eaglets lost Game 1 to the Tiger Cubs, but went on to win the next two games, giving them their third straight title. Kiefer Ravena was named Finals MVP.

UAAP Season 74 (A.Y. 2011-12) Four-Peat Champions
Elimination Round
The Blue Eagles opened its four-peat campaign by sweeping the first round of eliminations. They defeated the Adamson Falcons 55-51, extending a win streak to 29 that dated back to 1997, the De La Salle Green Archers, 81-72, the NU Bulldogs 86-62, the UE Red Warriors 73-61, the UP Fighting Maroons in what some refer to the "Battle of Katipunan", 77-57, the UST Growling Tigers, 66-53, and the FEU Tamaraws, 69-49.

In the second round, the Blue Eagles first faced the FEU Tamaraws. Unlike their first round game, the Blue Eagles had to come back in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, relying on a steal by Emman Monfort and two baskets by Ravena to tie the game at the end of regulation. The Blue Eagles then won in overtime, 74-67. The Blue Eagles then proceeded to defeat the UST Growling Tigers, 82-57, the UE Warriors, 74-70, the DLSU Green Archers, 79-62, the UP Fighting Maroons, 73-58. They then defeated the NU Bulldogs, 61-39, forcing NU into the lowest recorded scoring output of a UAAP team based on records from the league statisticians. In the final game of the elimination round, the Blue Eagles were defeated by the Adamson Falcons, 46-62. This ended a 29 game winning streak.

With their win-loss record at 13-1, the Blue Eagles entered the Final Four as the top seed, and with a twice-to-beat advantage.

Final Four
In their Final Four, the Blue Eagles played against the UST Growling Tigers, who were seeded fourth. At the end of the 1st quarter of the game, the score was tied at 18-all. Then on the 2nd quarter, the Blue Eagles got into their scoring groove and ended the 1st half leading by 8, 38-30. The Blue Eagles continued to dominate in the 3rd quarter, ending it up by 12, 52-40. In the fourth quarter, the Tigers threatened as their offense began to click. Ateneo's Kiefer Ravena made some crucial shots that gave back the Blue Eagles a double-digit lead, 61-51. But the UST Growling Tigers responded with a barrage of 3-point shots. With 5.5 seconds remaining, Ateneo's lead was cut down to 1 point but Ateneo had ball possession. In the ensuing play, Nico Salva was fouled and made his 2 free throws that gave the Blue Eagles the win, 69-66, entering the Finals for the fourth straight year.

The Blue Eagles set a UAAP record in Season 74 by advancing to the Final Four for the 13th straight year. Ateneo's 13th straight semifinal appearance surpassed the 12 consecutive Final Four stint set by La Salle from 1994 to 2005.

Finals
In the Finals, the Blue Eagles faced again the FEU Tamaraws, their previous year's Finals opponent. Game 1, held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, September 24, 2011, was attended by 18,970 paying spectators. In the first quarter, the Tamaraws upended the Blue Eagles by 5, 14-19. At the early part of the second quarter, the Tamaraws stretched their lead further. However, the Blue Eagles rallied to tie the score at 33-all at the end of the half. The third quarter saw the Blue Eagles go on a scoring tear highlighted by slam dunks of Greg Slaughter and Nico Salva, putting them up by 11 points going into the fourth period. In the final quarter, the Blue Eagles continued to outscore the Tamaraws, and eventually won Game 1 by a blowout, 82-64. Nico Salva was declared player of the game, finishing with a high of 24 points, with perfect field goal and freethrow shooting percentages coupled with 6 rebounds.

In Game 2, the FEU Tamaraws were still unable to solve the Ateneo puzzle. The Blue Eagles attacked early and ended the first quarter up by 5, 23-18. FEU responded in the second quarter to take the lead going into halftime, leaving Ateneo behind by 1, 35-36. The Blue Eagles then proceeded to outscore the Tamaraws 22-9 in the third quarter, giving them a double digit lead heading into the final quarter, 57-45. In the fourth period, the Blue Eagles outscored FEU by only 1 point, but that was enough to give them the win, 82-69. With the victory, Ateneo won its 21st men's basketball title (NCAA-UAAP combined), its first 4th straight UAAP title and the 7th since it joined the league in 1978. The victory also marked Ateneo's longest championship streak, a new record for the school. Ravena led the Blue Eagles in scoring with 18 points and Nico Salva was named the Finals MVP. Long, Monfort and Austria played their last game in the UAAP and capped off their collegiate career with a championship.

Preseasons (Summer) Bulletins
2008 Preseason - Ateneo won its first title in the Nike Summer League after squeaking past the UE Red Warriors at the 2008 Nike Summer League held at the ULTRA in June 14, 2008. The score was 65-64. Eric Salamat won the MVP award.

2010 preseason - Ateneo won a double championship in the 2010 Fr. Martin Summer Cup. The Blue Eaglets dumped the Arellano Braves, 87-64, while the Blue Eagles upended the Mapua Cardinals, 68-64. Both games were played on June 12, 2010.

2011 preseason - The Ateneo Blue Eagles defeated the NCAA champions, San Beda Red Lions, in the Finals of the 2011 Filoil Flying V Hanes Preseason Cup, 75–56 held in June 12, 2011. This is their first title in this tournament since participating in 2007. Ateneo's rookie Kiefer Ravena was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

2012 preseason - The Blue Eagles won the championship of the 2012 Fr. Martin Summer Cup. They defeated the Jose Rizal Heavy Bombers, 98-92, in overtime at the San Beda Gym on June 10, 2012.