The Games That Play Us: Hopes and Fears

Now more than ever, the phrase "One game at a time" resonates with me.

And I bet if you're from either Ateneo or UST, that phrase should resonate with you, too. It is, after all, the plain truth -- both schools have one elims game to play.

But here's the rub: for one of those teams, this will be the last game of Season 76.

On the other hand, the winner gets a new lease on life by advancing to the Final Four along with the NU Bulldogs, DLSU Green Archers, and FEU Tamaraws. 

The irony? Less than a year ago, these two teams were playing for bigger marbles -- the biggest one actually. This time, however, the Eagles and Tigers will lock horns just to stay alive, and perhaps not even for very long, since the top-seeded Bulldogs, armed with a twice-to-beat edge, are eagerly waiting in the next round. 

Will Kiefer Ravena rise?
(image by Jan Dizon/Inboundpass.com)

For me, and definitely for most, if not all, Ateneans, these feelings of dread, anxiety, and… helplessness are unfamiliar. For the first time in recent memory, the Blue Eagles' collective fate is still up in the air on the very last day of the second round. For the first time in recent memory, there's no Norman Black. There's no dominant frontline -- no Nico Salva and no Justin Chua (both of whom were in every single year of the 5-peat). 


Oh, and no coach Bo, too.

At the center of everything, at least for me, are Kiefer Ravena and Sandy Arespacochaga. 

For the past few games, starting with the La Salle game, in fact, Kiefer has been struggling. You wouldn't notice it if you looked only at his scoring average, of course (although his 3-point production against NU was, frankly, a horrible thing to witness). But look at the following things -- his turnovers, free throw shooting, three-point shooting, and overall field goal shooting. His season norm is 2.7topg. In his last three outings, he turned the ball over 3.7 times per game. Normally, Kief is a reliable free throw shooter , but in the last three games, he shot just 12/23 (52%). For the record, Kief is a career 75% free throw shooter in the UAAP Seniors, but this season, his clip has sunk to exactly 54%. 

Clearly, something is off. Maybe a nagging injury? Maybe it's psychological? His three-point shooting has been way off, too. Last season, the Phenom made 14/45 (31%) long toms in 17 games, but this season he has shot just 8/45 (18%) in 13 matches. He's shot more threes per game, but made fewer. And his FG%? Before the last three games, Kief shot a respectable 36% from the floor, but against DLSU, UE, and NU, Ravena made just 12/38 shots (32%).

Ateneo needs Ravena, the real Ravena -- not just the fearless one, but the smart one, the efficient one.

Now that brings us to coach Sandy, who deserves almost just as much credit for the 5-peat as coach Norman. I'm not just saying that because he was a former co-teacher of mine here at the Ateneo HS. I firmly believe in it.

And this is why.

I feel coach Sandy received an unfairly bad rap for what happened in 2004. His Eagles went 7-0 in the first round and then 3-4 in the second. He steered his squad to the Final Four despite not having his best player. He was way too young to be placed in that position, and yet he took everything in stride. They fell short in the big games that year, and many alumni felt he just wasn't ready to continue as head coach. 

As an assistant, however, he has more than proved himself. He has the trust of the players. He knows how to win. He inspires. 

And today he has another shot, another opportunity, to steer the Eagles into the Final Four. Once again, coach Sandy is in the spotlight. I believe in him enough to say he will rise to the occasion and exorcise whatever residual demons are left from '04. 

Can coach Sandy guide Ateneo back into the Final Four?
(image by Philip Sison/Fabilioh)

The hopes and fears of a school (both schools, actually) rest on this game. Jeric Teng of UST would want nothing more than to break into the Final Four again and have a shot at the title. It's his last year, of course. Ateneo wants to keep its Anim-O quest alive. Kiefer and Sandy seek, perhaps unconsciously, a little bit of redemption. 

Will Jeric Teng end his UAAP career on a sour note?
(image from Burn Sports)

The fourth seed is a big prize riding on today's game, but, for a lot of people playing/coaching in it, this encounter means so much more.

For these people, I offer the following choice lines from William Shakespeare's "Henry V":

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
In peace there's nothing so becomes a man
As modest stillness and humility:
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favour'd rage;
Then lend the eye a terrible aspect;
Hold hard the breath and bend up every spirit
To his full height. 
Be copy now to men of grosser blood,
And teach them how to war. And you, good yeoman,
show us here
The mettle of your pasture; let us swear
That you are worth your breeding; which I doubt not;
For there is none of you so mean and base,
That hath not noble lustre in your eyes.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot:
Follow your spirit, and upon this charge
Cry 'ONE BIG FIGHT!'"

(okay, I improvised a little bit :))



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