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| Thirdy Ravena and the Eaglets failed to win the title this year, but they should come back stronger next season. (image from Erwin Cabbab/Fabilioh.com) |
The Season 75 edition of
the Ateneo Blue Eaglets probably don't see, much less appreciate, it now, but
their travails these past few months have laid the groundwork for the success
that should follow in the next couple of years.
Despite having a roster
mostly made up of homegrown talent, which, in this age of high-octane
recruitment, tends to be more bane than boon, the Eaglets were competitive.
They finished with an 8-win, 6-loss slate. That was good enough for a Final
Four slot and a date with top seed and eventual champions, the FEU-FERN Baby
Tamaraws.
Young, Raw Talent
In many ways, this was a
really talented bunch of Eaglets. Anton Asistio, who led the team in scoring
with 16.7ppg during the elims (top four in the league), proved to be a reliable
shooter. He led the league in 3-point percentage, connecting on 36% of his trey
attempts while also making good on 81.1% of his charity shots, good for second
overall. He’s a natural off-guard, but he showed some signs he could be a
decent playmaker, too. If he decides to follow up on his career and play in the
Seniors division, then further improving his handles and vision will really
help him make the transition ala Jai Reyes.
Other guys who stepped up
this season were rookie twins Mike and Matthew Nieto, and third-year swingman
Aaron Black. Mike Nieto, at just 5’9 or 5’10 is probably the smallest center in
the division, but he more than held his own. The super soph normed a near
double-double this season – 10.8ppg and 9.5rpg. He also led the league in free
throw accuracy, making more than 86% of his tries from the stripe.
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| Mike Nieto is small in stature, but BIG in talent and heart. (image from Erwin Cabbab/Fabilioh.com) |
His brother, Matthew,
also did well. Although he’s as tall as his burly brother, Matthew actually
plays guard for the Eaglets. Whereas Mike is a bona fide bruiser, Matthew is
more of a slasher and playmaker. Nicknamed “Achoo,” Matthew averaged nearly 7.0ppg
while grabbing more than 4 rebounds and dishing out a little under 4 dimes per
outing. With the graduation of Mark Gamboa, it seems but natural for Achoo to
inherit the primary playmaker role next season.
Aaron Black, for his
part, continued developing in his second tour of duty with the team. He was
part of the team’s third stringers last season, mostly playing behind Kiefer
Lim and Lambert Tenorio, but he found more burn time in Season 75. His
production went up, too. Black played off the pine for all but one game this
season, and he proved to be a capable shock trooper – think a lanky James
Harden. He’ll need to improve on his athleticism to fully realize his
potential, but he should be a great talent in his final Juniors season next
year.
The Evolution of Thirdy Ravena
Without argument,
however, this past season’s best Blue Eaglet was Thirdy Ravena. Eager to step
out of his more illustrious brother’s shadow, the younger Ravena blossomed
under the spotlight.
I remember him struggling
at times last season, playing the off-guard position at times and then at times
finding himself under the basket against opposing bigs. This was because Thirdy
grew about 6-7 inches from the moment he entered high school up until the
latter part of Season 74. He was caught up in “position confusion.”
I can still recall him
applying to the Ateneo Ultimate Frisbee club early in the 2010-2011 school
year. He actually looked a little frail. He didn’t seem imposing at all. Right
now, however, his presence cannot be missed when he walks in the halls of the
Ateneo High School. He’s about 6’2 already, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he
grows a couple more inches before he gets to college.
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| Thirdy Ravena should continue flying high well into college. (image from Erwin Cabbab/Fabilioh.com) |
More impressive than his
growth spurt, though, is the growth in his game. He has adapted to his
strengths and has shown flashes of the greatness that might become him if he
continues to work hard. His double-double averages – 15.3ppg and 10.9rpg –
landed him in the Juniors Mythical Five, and another season with even better
numbers should lift him into MVP status. Beyond that, however, I’m sure he’d
want nothing more than to lead Ateneo back into championship glory. And, yeah,
he needs to cut down on his errors, too (4.8 turnovers per game is too much).
Recruitment Malady and Remedy
One thing all those
aforementioned players share is this: they’re all homegrown. They all finished
their elementary schooling in the Ateneo Grade School. That’s a great thing for
the players, but maybe not so much for the program.
The reality is, even at
this level, recruitment and development have become the benchmarks for a
successful basketball program. Ateneo has excelled at development, but we
haven’t exactly been great at recruitment for the past two seasons. Perhaps the
last big recruiting coup the Eaglets had was way back in the 2005-2007 years,
when Juami Tiongson (from CS), Ael Banal (from Xavier), Al Bugarin (from CSA),
Tim Capacio (from Zobel), Paolo Pe (also from Xavier), and Paolo Romero (from
Claret) all came in to beef up the Eaglets’ roster. We already had outstanding
talents like JV Dumrique, Kiefer Ravena, and Von Pessumal back then, but it
would’ve been nearly impossible to achieve the three-peat of 2008-2010 had we
not recruited the others (yes, even if we had super coach Jamike Jarin at the
helm).
In contrast, the biggest
recruits of the past two seasons were Cebuanos Kiefer Lim and Kris Porter. Both
would go on to don the national youth colors and Porter played for the Seniors
this past season, but, great as they were, it just wasn’t enough to topple the
recruitment machines of FEU-FERN and NU. Even Zobel has gone on to recruit
heavily, with most of their big guns coming from CSA and Lourdes Mandaluyong.
So why did the AHS “lose”
the recruitment wars these past two years? Simple – we didn’t compete in the
Milo Passerelle tournament. Why is this a big deal? It’s a big deal for
incoming HS freshmen because it’s the biggest and most competitive basketball
meet at their age level. If a great player from, say, Southridge wants to go to
the AHS and play for the Eaglets, he would have to “sit out” one year and
simply train while his peers played their hearts out in the Passerelle tourney.
He would have to be content to simply practice with the UAAP, PRADA, and PAYA
teams, while also playing in the less competitive My Ball competition. I’m not
really sure why Ateneo ceased to participate in the Milo Passerelle tourney in
the first place, but the important thing is the Eaglets played again starting
this year. They didn’t win it all on the court, but they scored some awesome
recruits that will serve as the core for the title-contending teams of the next
few seasons.
So who are these guys on
whom we should keep tabs?
Okay, children, remember
these names (all of them are currently enrolled in the AHS already):
Gian Mamuyac and Benedict Cruz from the 2011 National SBP Champion team of Lourdes
Mandaluyong.
Jossier Hassan from the 2010 Milo Mindanao SBP
Champion team of Ateneo de Zamboanga.
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| Watch out for this guy: Gian Mamuyac. (image from Blue Ateneo's Facebook page) |
If everything pans out,
then these kids, along with homegrown freshmen superstars Jolo Mendoza and Enzo Joson,
should form another golden generation for the Blue Eaglets.
Pain IS Growth
So, you see, despite the
heartbreaks of the past two seasons, the Eaglets are still in good shape and in
good hands. The groundwork for success has been laid, and we will reap the
benefits very very soon. Go Ateneo! One BIG Fight!
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