Experience vs talent in UAAP Finale

ATENEO stakes the Blue Eagles’ championship experience against the talent of Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws in Game One of the 73rd University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball finals on Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Ateneo roster still has much of the same Blue Eagles who won back-to-back crowns, an advantage head coach Norman Black would want to exploit to the hilt.

FEU, the No. 1 seed whose coach claims they are the underdogs in the best-of-three duel, is returning to the finals for the first time since sweeping De La Salle for the crown in 2005.

The Tamaraws are lacking in championship experience but head coach Glen Capacio stressed his boys, besides their individual talent, are the hungrier team.

Black disagreed. His Blue Eagles, he stressed, are aiming to nail Ateneo’s first “three-peat” conquest in the league.

“We are as hungry as them,” said Black, who will be a big man short in Game One. His backup center Jumbo Escueta was suspended for one game for incurring two unsportsmanlike fouls in the season.

“But FEU is definitely a tough challenge for us. They are the No. 1 team and they have a great talent there,” he added.

Black will depend on Nico Salva, Justin Chua and Frank Golla in trying to neutralize the talented big men of FEU—Aldrech Ramos, Reil Cervantes, Pipo Nuondo and Mark Bringas.

Ateneo could be more concerned about the Tamaraws’ frontline, but his guards have given them the lift in the latter part of the tournament with Eric Salamat, Ronjay Buenafe and Emman Monfort playing huge when it mattered most.

Black is aware that season Most Valuable Player RR Garcia and Terrence Romeo, the present and future of FEU basketball, need defensive attention in the series.

“We can’t stop RR. We have to play a good overall defense on him,” said Black, whose first finals defeat came at the hands of Pido Jarencio and University of Santo Tomas in 2006.

The duel starts at 4 p.m.

Joel Orellana, Business World