6 Points: AdMU vs. SBC (Fil-Oil Flying V Pre-season Tournament)

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Ateneo 90, San Beda 87

-In this hard-fought battle for the first pre-season win, we start with the most obvious and most basic thing to take notice of: The Phenom. Kiefer Ravena's 24 points that went with 3 boards and 4 assists doesn't even say a lot about his explosive game as a fresh Blue Eagle. Rather, it's how his presence became threatening to the opponent. It was just the first game and he was making fade-away shots near the baseline, running the breaks for an easy lay up or an assist, or fake a pass, tilt his upper body and go for a shot with legs apart. And of course, he also has that alley-oop pass to Greg Slaughter who in turn jams it in to give the Eagles the game. He is the most-awaited man of the Blue Squad, and he lives up to the fans' expectations by controlling most of the game on both ends of the court. To put simply, he became greatness and success personified… and this is just the first of many games we will see him.

-But of course, we also bring to another person credit that is due, and that is to Greg Slaughter, who acted as the star rookie number two for the Blue Eagles. Not only did the Smart Gilas big man play great defense by preventing the Red Lions' African big men from the post, he also scored off post moves and free throws (including several crucial ones when the game went to deadlock situations late in the final canto). However, he still needs to develop his speed and versatility, needing to be able to zip on both ends of the court and make bullet passes if ever he gets doubled or tripled.

-One good observation from this game is that both the Eagles and the Lions tuned their players up with their bread-and-butter strategies. San Beda used their usual screen plays from the mid-post, which would end up either with a jumper on the top or on the wings, or with their massive African player scoring from inside. Ateneo, on the other hand, used the usual zone defense where the backcourt slides back and forth and fights off screens. Both of them actually worked most of the time, but then, the difference that gave the game for Ateneo would be the discipline and the hustle of Ravena (who benefitted from SBC turnovers and misses by quickly sprinting to the other side to finish off a fastbreak play) and Slaughter (who kept Adeogun out of the paint and making his life inside it difficult) in the last stretch.

-The final score didn't say much about Ateneo's strength, for in the middle of the third quarter, they nearly pulled away with a huge 11-point lead, 60-49, over San Beda. However, due to unnecessary turnovers and missed shots, the Red Lions were able to make a huge run, through Garvo Lanete and Melo Lim treys, with a few baskets from Adeogun. This just shows that Ateneo needs to play at a level that could equal that of Season 73 in order to maintain their momentum during games. It is true that because of Ravena and Slaughter's presence, most of the pressure experienced during the last season were relieved, most especially from the big men; however, the Blue Eagles should, as a team, should stay keen, determined, and prepared to deal with anything that might hinder them from winning. As one, they should stay focused all through out the One Big Fight towards the championship.

-When we talk about Ateneo's reserves, we're talking several feet deep. With only Salamat and Balmaceda leaving the team, along with Ryan Buenafe, Art dela Cruz, Jeric Estrada, and Chris de Chavez who will altogether take an indefinite leave, the Blue Eagles relatively has the Season 73 core intact. But more than that, the team will have new faces that can deliver in an outstanding manner. Besides Ravena and Slaughter, Ateneo still has high school stars Gwynne Capacio and Mark Jayven Tallo. Also, Oping Sumalinog will be making his comeback after a grave ACL injury. In short, the Blue Eagles is just so jampacked and fully loaded that any team cannot take a rest when bench players enter. Imagine pulling out Ravena or Salva from the game to rest, and just be replaced with Kirk Long and Gwynne Capacio, or Sumalinog. Have Slaughter out to be replaced by Golla or Chua. That's just crazy, and this is going to be a headache for all who would stand against the Blue Eagles' run for its fourth straight title.

-Everyone thinks that the Fil-Oil preseason game is just a warm-up, but boy, did it become too serious when the top teams from the two big basketball leagues in the Metro faced each other. With the game's pace as well as the action that went with it, both Ateneo and San Beda took this game seriously, with school pride at stake but a single win on the tournament as a prize. This game was seen by everyone as a statement, the answer to the question of who is going to be the best college basketball team in Manila for this year. If one would look at the rotation of the players, it seems that it will be what Coach Norman will use for the UAAP; on the other hand, with Adeogun still redshirting for another season, the SBC rotation might just be what Coach Frankie Lim will use, only that Sudan Daniel will fill in the center spot. (Side comment: by the way, the best combo for the Blue Eagles during this game was during the closing minutes, when Ravena, Slaughter, Salva, and Long were in the court, while Monfort and Gonzaga subbed for each other for the O and D respectively)

Post Script:

-The potential for JP Erram is still there, as he was able to move well as well as find his scoring spots.
-The Blue fans wanted to still see Buenafe in action, but an indefinite leave prevents him from playing this year. Interestingly, we have forwards who can duly replace his spot and become threats to the opponent.
-When we speak of the future, the Red Lions can rely on outstanding figures present in the game. One is Ola Adeogun, who filled in the five spot for the Red Lions. Based on this game's performance, he could be a very athletic center who can muscle his way in and out, as well as score off feeds from the Red Lions' guards. Give him another year to develop and he can be the real beast of the NCAA.
-Baser Amer is the other big thing to happen besides the Phenom, so how did he fare? All good for a rookie. Despite being hounded all throughout the game by Tonino Gonzaga, he played at a level quite above the expectations of everyone, though he only managed to tally in 4 points, 4 rebs, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Not a Phenom enough, but could be promising as well.

-Interesting question: Why did Su Daniel play limited minutes?

Scores:

Ateneo 90 – Slaughter 26, Ravena 25, Salva 21, Gonzaga 7, Erram 5, Long 3, Golla 2, Austria 1, Monfort 0, Chua 0.

San Beda 87 – Adeogun 30, Lanete 15, Lim 10, A. Semerad 8, Marcelo 6, Daniel 5, Amer 4, J. Pascual 4, de la Rosa 3, Pontejos 2, Villahermosa 0, Caram 0, K. Pascual 0.

Quarter scores: 18-18, 41-39, 68-58, 90-87

Credit to inboundpass.com and chinoyhoopsfan for the scores, some info, and the Phenom video.