This will be a very straightforward post that aims to answer some questions regarding the Eagles so let's just get it started.
1. This team seems more capable of going all the way compared to last year's team. I'll be very frank. Last year's team had no business being the #1 seed. The talent that the team had last year was nothing compared to the depth that NU, La Salle, FEU, UE and hell even UST had. That's not to say that Newsome and Elorde sucked. I'm just saying that last year's team isn't as deep as others. This year, that isn't the case. Quite literally, anyone from the team can be an immediate contributor. Need threes? Get Arvin or Von. Need someone to set hard picks and points in the paint? You have Apacible, Ikeh and Gotladera. Need clutch? Kiefer. And many more.
2. Ball movement was a thing of beauty. Lots of Ateneo fans complained that the only play Ateneo had last year was "GIVE THE BALL TO KIEFER AND GTFO". Well, that wasn't the case earlier. The offense wasn't stagnant, and the ball was always moving. Sure there were times that the spacing was bad, but the way the ball was shared was mighty impressive. During the 1st quarter, there were two sequences where Von was freed up because of various screens set by the bigs. There were also times where Kiefer got free. Or Ikeh. It was magical. Spacing can be improved, as mentioned before, but the very fact that the ball movement should have Ateneo fans excited.
3. The back court depth is INSANE. K. Ravena, Pessumal, Pingoy, Black, Cani, Wong, Ma. Nieto. Need I say more? Pretty amazing stuff.
4. ... But the front court is lacking. Earlier, the only front court member who performed particularly well were Arvin and Big Mike, and when you think about it, both aren't really BIGS. Right now, Ateneo still lacks that low post threat which was such a fixture in the Ateneo 5 peat teams (Rabeh, Chua and Greg). Ikeh is still very raw. Gotladera is more of bruiser inside. Same with Apacible and Babilionia. Sure there's depth, but don't expect the bigs to produce much.
5. Arvin Tolentino is here to stay.. AND HE IS BEASTING. People have wondered whether or not Arvin would leave Ateneo for Beda. Nope. He is here to say. And i'm happy to say that HE IS DOING REALLY WELL. Sure there are still defensive lapses. But he was more aware, he moved his hands more, plus, he was actually boxing out. Also, Arvin made better decisions when it came to the more glamorous side of the ball. Instead of settling for threes all the time, the ATrain was effective driving inside, or scoring off put backs. Heck, he was even dropping dimes to the import earlier by virtue of his drive and draws. Scary stuff.
Overall, the Ateneo faithful have A LOT of reason to be excited for the upcoming season. To be honest, before the game, I was filled with doubt when it came to the chances of the Eagles. But after watching the performance of the Hail Mary Squad, I'm a bit more optimistic. LET'S GO GET THAT CROWN BACK TO WHERE IT TRULY BELONGS.
#OBF
1. This team seems more capable of going all the way compared to last year's team. I'll be very frank. Last year's team had no business being the #1 seed. The talent that the team had last year was nothing compared to the depth that NU, La Salle, FEU, UE and hell even UST had. That's not to say that Newsome and Elorde sucked. I'm just saying that last year's team isn't as deep as others. This year, that isn't the case. Quite literally, anyone from the team can be an immediate contributor. Need threes? Get Arvin or Von. Need someone to set hard picks and points in the paint? You have Apacible, Ikeh and Gotladera. Need clutch? Kiefer. And many more.
2. Ball movement was a thing of beauty. Lots of Ateneo fans complained that the only play Ateneo had last year was "GIVE THE BALL TO KIEFER AND GTFO". Well, that wasn't the case earlier. The offense wasn't stagnant, and the ball was always moving. Sure there were times that the spacing was bad, but the way the ball was shared was mighty impressive. During the 1st quarter, there were two sequences where Von was freed up because of various screens set by the bigs. There were also times where Kiefer got free. Or Ikeh. It was magical. Spacing can be improved, as mentioned before, but the very fact that the ball movement should have Ateneo fans excited.
3. The back court depth is INSANE. K. Ravena, Pessumal, Pingoy, Black, Cani, Wong, Ma. Nieto. Need I say more? Pretty amazing stuff.
4. ... But the front court is lacking. Earlier, the only front court member who performed particularly well were Arvin and Big Mike, and when you think about it, both aren't really BIGS. Right now, Ateneo still lacks that low post threat which was such a fixture in the Ateneo 5 peat teams (Rabeh, Chua and Greg). Ikeh is still very raw. Gotladera is more of bruiser inside. Same with Apacible and Babilionia. Sure there's depth, but don't expect the bigs to produce much.
5. Arvin Tolentino is here to stay.. AND HE IS BEASTING. People have wondered whether or not Arvin would leave Ateneo for Beda. Nope. He is here to say. And i'm happy to say that HE IS DOING REALLY WELL. Sure there are still defensive lapses. But he was more aware, he moved his hands more, plus, he was actually boxing out. Also, Arvin made better decisions when it came to the more glamorous side of the ball. Instead of settling for threes all the time, the ATrain was effective driving inside, or scoring off put backs. Heck, he was even dropping dimes to the import earlier by virtue of his drive and draws. Scary stuff.
Overall, the Ateneo faithful have A LOT of reason to be excited for the upcoming season. To be honest, before the game, I was filled with doubt when it came to the chances of the Eagles. But after watching the performance of the Hail Mary Squad, I'm a bit more optimistic. LET'S GO GET THAT CROWN BACK TO WHERE IT TRULY BELONGS.
#OBF
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