S74 Senior Salute: Kirk Long

For those who followed Kirk Long's playing career in the UAAP, it's not very surprising that he came out as a vital cog in the Blue Eagles' bids for championship these past four seasons. This blue chip from Faith Academy has already exceeded a lot of expectations during his rookie year in the Ateneo. As a new Blue Eagle during Season 70, he served as the energy off the bench, and his primary role is to shoot from the perimeter and lead the team during breaks, usually finishing with unbelievable lay ups that brings the Ateneo crowd to its feet with amazement.

Long was able to adapt easily to the system of the Blue Eagles, as he plays fundamentally sound basketball. One can see that, save for those amazing lay ups and stabs, he plays with basic moves, creative yet not fancy. Pump fake, dribble drive, and pass or shoot, that's just the Kirk Long way, and he really does it very well, especially with him being gifted both with the quickness of body and mind to finish plays set for him or his teammates.

But what made Kirk Long rise to fame in the UAAP, more than his changing hairstyle and his family that always gets together in the Upper A/B sections of the Smart Araneta Coliseum, were his two big shots against the UST Tigers. These two instances earned him the title "Tiger Killer," someone that even Coach Pido Jarencio of the UST Tigers feared.

The first one was during Season 70, in his rookie year, when he hit that game winning jumper over Jervy Cruz, allowing Ateneo to get over its losses against UST which date back to the Finals of Season 69. Since then, the Growling Tigers have never won a game against Ateneo, with the latter holding an eleven-win streak against the former.



He pulled off another trick again two years later, just in time when the Tigers tightened its defense and planned to snatch the game. Unfortunately for UST, Long hit a long trey to give the Blue Eagles the big win.



But in Long's later years, he became less of a scorer, and yet he became more dangerous. His figures have dropped, primarily because he set his sights on playing perfect defense, leaving much of the offense to his elite teammates. It is true that he scores a lot when it comes to running breaks along fellow guards (his most recent partner being Kiefer Ravena and fellow senior Emman Monfort), but what makes him more remarkable than ever was his one-on-one defense that heavily clamps and shuts down any formidable scorer. Just ask UST's Jeric Teng and NU's Bobby Ray Parks, and they would most likely say that they're glad that Kirk Long's career in the UAAP is now over.

Long could have a bright future in this country's basketball scene, but naturalization won't do the job for him if he wants to enter the PBA. However, if he did get a chance to enter the amateur leagues (possibly in the PBDL), he can get a good shot of becoming one of the best guards of this season. The talent, the skill, and the determination's there, and all he needs is a chance to once again prove himself.

Thank you, Kirk Long. Hopefully, the Blue Eagles find another cold-blooded killer like you, and it might be difficult to do so because your somewhere near irreplaceable.

Credits to Fabilioh.com for the picture, and colpitts and ManiacSports in YouTube for the videos.