(Photo Credit: Leo Lopez, Fabilioh) Ten players stood inside the Blue Eagle Gym on a rainy Saturday afternoon, but fans in attendance were eagerly waiting for the explosion of one man. Jolo Mendoza was being hyped up as the next Kiefer Ravena. In a second-round match-up versus a young Adamson Baby Falcons team, the table was set for an eruption by the Season 77 Finals MVP.   The wait was excruciating. Jolo was seemingly picking his spots, choosing to pass the ball instead of pulling up unconsciously. The fans were starting to get bored. They wanted the scoring barrage they paid a ticket for. All of a sudden, a tall, lanky kid with frizzy hair galloped coast to coast, flew up high and attempted a dipsy-doo lay-up with ease. The referee blew his whistle to signal a foul. Fans jumped up, with their faces saying "OH SHIT WHO IS THAT GUY?", while the coaching staff of the Blue Eaglets' face screamed, " Bakit di mo na lang diniretso Mamu!!!!"  We all know G...

Photo Credit: Joji Lapuz, Fabilioh  Dragon Ball Z was my favorite anime/cartoon during my childhood. How Goku could muster that much energy to save the world was awe-inspiring. But the moment in the anime which I could say is my favorite was during the Cell Saga, where Gohan made himself known.  As a kid, that moment truly resonated with me. I wanted to make myself known already, but elders would stop me because I was too young. But I knew I had the potential to do great things. For the case of Gohan, with no one else among the Saiyans giving much a fight against Cell (and well, Cell killing Android 16), he decided to unleash the beast within. Kai Sotto was more gentle giant than beast when he entered the UAAP. He was relegated as a benchwarmer, only coming in during spurts to grab a couple of rebounds and to block a shot or two. It was only during the second round where Kai was used consistently, mostly as a rebounder and as a shot blocker. Against the FEU ...

Photo Credit: Richard Esguerra, ABS-CBN Sports Season 79 of the UAAP Juniors Division has been more controversial than fun. That wasn't usually the case. More often than not, scouts and analysts would be found talking about who would be the future stars come college in this batch of High School players. Instead, talk regarding the UAAP Juniors Division has been centered around the eligibility case of Adamson's Encho Serrano. Almost immediately, fears regarding the credibility of High School basketball started to circulate around basketball circles. Just how credible are the ages of these players in the Juniors Division? Heck, is the Juniors Division still a Division for well.. Juniors? Is the age group which was previously loved because of how "pure" it was now sprinkled with the dirt which College and Pro Basketball has? There aren't any answers for these questions just yet. But Ateneo and FEU's Final Four classic reminded us what High School Baske...

Kai Sotto has been mighty impressive as of late. But is he for real? (Photo Credit: Spin.ph) Basic Information Name: Kai Sotto Age: 14 School/Team: Ateneo Blue Eaglets Years of eligibility left: 4 Height: 6'11" Position: Center Projected Position: Power Forward/Center Quick Hits Strengths: - Has arguably the highest ceiling of anyone in Philippine basketball - Great touch around the rim - Has a great stroke from mid-range - Is an elite shot blocker, uses his size and length to his advantage - Very high Basketball IQ Weaknesses: - Needs to bulk up - Footwork needs improvement to dominate offensively - Athleticism isn't there yet which limits him, understandable given his age 6'11". 14 years old. Those are the two statistics which are often most talked about when talking about Kai Sotto. There's arguments whether he's really 6'11" (6'9" is the height which has been used for the longest time), but the point is,...

#joloisgold, but he still has some things to work on. (Photo Credit: Leo Lopez, Fabilioh) One September morning as I was chatting with one of my close basketball-watching friends, our conversation started to circle around Jolo Mendoza. When I first made mention of his name, he said something about Jolo which still sticks in my mind 'till this day. "Ahh Jolo Mendoza. Shet. That kid was born to play." I agreed with his sentiment. As our conversation rolled along, I made mention of some of the things which separates Jolo from his batch mates. Of course, his shooting is a given. His offensive wizardry was part of our conversation as well. But more importantly, it was his maturity and composure for a player his age which really impressed the both of us. Sadly, against the De La Salle Zobel Junior Archers, his maturity for the game wasn't exactly on display. "I think I got a bit frustrated early, which was wrong for me as the veteran for a team," mentio...

It was a struggle for Shaun Ildefonso and the Blue Eaglets against the Junior Archers. (Photo Credit: Joji Lapuz, Fabilioh) The Ateneo Blue Eaglets this year were hyped up to be one of the deepest and most talented in recent memory. Heck, some idiotic "sportswriter" *looks at mirror* even claimed that the Season 78 Ateneo Blue Eaglets are better than the San Beda Red Cubs. The freakin' San Beda Red Cubs. What is this guy smoking?! Yesterday, the hype train was put to a stop thanks to Aljun Melecio's 42 point explosion against the Blue Eaglets. After that loss, Ateneans (inevitably) panicked. " Kala ko ba magaling 'tong Eaglets? Anyare?"  "BAKIT KAYO NATALO SA LA SALLE" " The boys should be boxing out and looking for the open man! Clearly the coach is doing something wrong!" Aaaaaaaand more. The once supposedly superior Eaglets were then surrounded with worry and doubt. They lost. This team's supposed to be some kin...

Memories of the championship are still fresh in the minds of the Blue Eaglets. (Photo Credit: Mon Rubio, The Shaded Lane) Memories of the Ateneo Blue Eaglets winning the UAAP Season 77 Juniors Basketball Championship is still very much ingrained in the heads of the current Blue Eaglets. Why wouldn't it be? That championship was the first for the Blue Eaglets after 4 years. For Jolo, Shaun and the rest of the Blue Eaglets during that time, that championship meant a lot for them. For Jolo, it was his first championship after 3 years of being ringless in the Juniors Division. For Shaun, it was his second championship his whole life, with the first being with La Salle in the SBP. Point is, that championship meant a lot to the Blue Eaglets. That championship is still fresh in the heads for not only the Ateneo community, but the rest of the basketball community as well. Then, as the popular saying goes... Walang forever.  After Boracay, the partying, the celebrating, it was ba...

4 long years. It’s been 4 long years ever since the Ateneo Blue Eaglets brought the Juniors Basketball Championship to Katipunan. It’s been 4 long years ever since the Blue Eaglets experienced glory in the UAAP. It’s been 4 long years of waiting. 4 long years of losing. 4 long years of trying to hold in the tears every time the Blue Eaglets would be eliminated from contention for the championship. 4 long years of keeping confident that somehow, this drought will come to an end eventually. It did come to an end, and oh boy, the story that unfolded before our very eyes as that drought ended was simply amazing. An Offseason of Change The Eaglets were determined to bring the title back to Katipunan. (Photo Credit: Philip Sison)  After losing a heartbreaker of a Finals series against the Hubert Cani led NU Bullpups, for sure, something had to change. Some people were starting to have doubts with the coaching acumen of Joe Silva when it came to these...

The unstoppable force meets the immovable object once again. Mike Nieto vs. Mark Dyke, ladies and gentlemen. (Photo Credit: Mon Rubio, UAAP) Season 76. Last year, the Finals of the UAAP Juniors Basketball season also had Ateneo and NU as its main protagonists. Ateneo had standouts Thirdy Ravena, Jme Escaler and Aaron Black to lead the Katipunan based High School, while NU had (ironically) current Atenean Hubert Cani and JP Cauilan to lead the charge of the Bullpups. For that Finals series, NU possessed a thrice to beat advantage after sweeping the competition, while Ateneo had to go through the rigorous step ladder format in order to reach the Finals. To cut it short, Ateneo fell short in the end for both games. and ultimately. NU became champions.  Shift to Season 77. This year, the Finals of the UAAP Juniors Basketball season has Ateneo and NU as its main protagonists. Ateneo has standouts Mike Nieto, Matt Nieto and Jolo Mendoza to lead the Katipunan based High...

  I won't be posting the recaps for the past three game dates because of personal problems, but I feel like I really have to write regarding this issue, not only because I am an Atenean, but also because I am a spectator of Philippine Basketball.    I've been watching the UAAP for almost 11 years now. If you do the Math, that's around 2002, the same year Ateneo won a UAAP championship. I remember the very first Ateneo jersey that I got; it was a Rich Alvarez jersey, and until now, it still fits me quite well. My very first Ateneo jersey. Rich Alvarez. (photo courtesy of writer)