UAAP Season 80 Preview: The FEU Tamaraws and the Adamson Soaring Falcons look to break into title contender status this season

The beat of the drums start to fill the ears of basketball fans, while Philippine Basketball Twitter is at its peak from 2pm up to 8pm. Students from different schools debate on who the best team is in the league. Players start to jaw at each other in order to get an edge on the basketball court. Of course, there's the sound of the alumni, with their finger pointed towards the referee as they shout "HOY REF, FOUL?!?!?!" 

It's been a while, UAAP. We missed you. It's that time of the year again.

To jump start the coverage for this season, we'll be previewing the eight teams by discussing a question that's of utmost importance for each one. This can be something that matters in the long-term or in the short-term. As long as it's something that can be a topic of discussion, we'll talk about it on this space. 

Aside from the previews for each team, there might also be other companion pieces discussing the rookies and whatnot. 

For the third installment of this series, we'll be talking about the dark horses this season. The FEU Tamaraws and the Adamson Soaring Falcons undoubtedly have the tools to make it into title contender status. However, questions still linger.

FEU Tamaraws: How will Coach Olsen Racela blend the Triangle Offense and the Dribble Drive Offense?

Record last season: 9-5

(Photo Credit: Tristan Tamayo, Inquirer.net)

Coach Olsen mentioned in an interview with CNN Sportsdesk how he plans to use both the Triangle Offense and the Dribble Drive Offense when it comes to the attack of his team. Most fans thought, Oh cool. FEU gets to keep their staple offense while blending in some Coach Olsen into it. However when we dig deeper into the situation FEU is faced with now, the blend between the two systems gives us more questions than answers. 

The Dribble Drive makes perfect sense for the type of personnel Coach Olsen has with him in the Tamaraws. The team is made up of mostly guards, all of whom can either create off the dribble or play off the ball and try to look for openings along the wings. At the same time, he has capable big men who can shoot from the outside, create for themselves or even catch passes from guards who'll be dishing it off coming from drives. Looking at that alone, DDO is a great fit.

But then, there's the Triangle Offense. It's an offense which is heavily reliant on a dominant/great player who can operate from the pinch post. The Chicago Bulls had Michael Jordan, Luc Longley and Toni Kukoc playing in that area, while the Los Angeles Lakers had Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol doing damage from there. They're all players who can create for themselves and for others when placed around that position.

The Tamaraws? The only player who looks to fit the bill as a capable pinch post player is Arvin Tolentino. But even Arvin hasn't shown just yet his ability to play there in the college level. Where Arvin truly thrives is coming off the catch for easy shots from three, or attacking off the bounce versus slower defenders. 

There is one similarity between the two offenses, and that's the constant movement both of them ask from their players. They aren't sets that are rigid by any means. They require players who have high intellect and an understanding of how to react in certain situations in order for these to work. Plus, a lot of discipline and patience is needed. The Lakers and Bulls had players like that. On the other hand, the Knicks of last season did not. It will be interesting to see then whether FEU fits the bill as a team with high intellect, understanding, and discipline, in order to blend two offenses that are different and similar at the same time.

Adamson Soaring Falcons: Can Jerrick Ahanmisi play at a high level on a night to night basis?

Record last season: 8-6

(Photo Credit: Tristan Tamayo, Inquirer.net)

After starting out the season on fire last year, Jerrick Ahanmisi started to cool down come the mid-portion of Season 79. This was to be expected. Defenses would start to clamp down on him since he was already starting to make noise as the best shooter in the league. But all of a sudden, Ahanmisi put up a weird four game stretch that went like this...

Game 1: 27 points, 10/16 FG, 7 rebounds

Game 2: 0 points, 0/2 FG, 2 rebounds

Game 3: 17 points, 6/10 FG, 3 rebounds

Game 4: 4 points, 2/8 FG, 2 rebounds

The first game was against La Salle, where they lost a squeaker. The second was against UP, who they lost against in what was one of the biggest upsets that year. The third was versus UE, while the fourth was against FEU. Adamson managed to win those last two games.

What do these statistics tell us? It's not a matter of Jerrick not playing well in big games or coasting in games versus lesser teams. What we see is a Jerrick who is maddeningly inconsistent. One game, he looks like a legitimate challenger versus Ben Mbala. All of a sudden, he plays like a bench warmer. It's frustrating, but you can't give up on Ahamisi because he's such a talented player.

Which brings us then to the question we have for the whole team. Can Jerrick Ahanmisi play high-level basketball on a daily basis? Rob Manalang and Papi Sarr will always get their numbers, but the player who is capable of catapulting Adamson towards title contention is Jerrick. In order to do that, he has to play well every game. He can't take nights off. He has to be sharp every game, because for any championship team, consistency is key. Jerrick doesn't have that just yet. If he really wants to be a champion, he needs to learn how to play continious high level basketball, and fast.