Originally posted on the Balls Channel website
Last Season:
Fifth Place (7-7 in the eliminations)
Key Losses: Juami
Tiongson, Ryan Buenafe, JP Erram, Frank Golla, Earl Murphy, Ivan Enriquez, Fran Asuncion
Holdovers: Kiefer
Ravena, Chris Newsome, Nico Elorde, Von Pessumal, Kris Porter, Vince Tolentino,
Isaac Lim, Gboy Babilonia, Gwyne Capacio, Anton Asistio
Key Acquisitions:
Thirdy Ravena, Arvin Tolentino, John Apacible, Clint Doliguez, Jay Javelosa,
Alfonso Gotladera
The Coach Says:
“Ang challenge ngayon is marami sa kanila, more than half of our team, first time maglalaro together. So yung level ng competitiveness namin, dapat mas mataas sa pinakita namin this summer and last year. That becomes a challenge sa mga bata, that we need to be in the Final Four – we have to. Its difficult but we need to be there. Anything can happen, but we need to put ourselves in the position to play there.” – coach Bo Perasol
The Players Say:
“Tingin ko number one pa rin kami. I don’t want to have that attitude that we're underdogs, even though in reality, we are. I don't want to have that loser’s mentality na hindi kami malakas. Tingin ko, kami pa rin ang pinakamagaling.” – Kiefer Ravena, guard
“The only expectation is to win. Last year wasn’t enough. Everything we did, its not enough. We have to work harder this year.” – Chris Newsome, forward
“Ine-expect ko na magkaroon agad ako ng impact sa team as a, sabi nga nila, prized recruit. Sana makatulong ako na makuha yung championship.” – Arvin Tolentino, forward
X-Factor: Kiefer Ravena
Failures change a man’s perspective of life, and for Kiefer
Ravena, falling short for the first time in his collegiate career was a bitter
pill to swallow.
But with a new season set to kick off, the 6-foot guard
knows that all he needs to do is to move forward.
“Tapos na 'yun,” he said. “Hindi kami magmo-move forward if
we keep on thinking about what happened last year. Gagawin na lang naming
motivation 'yun.”
This year, Ravena looks like a changed man, more motivated
than ever to lead Ateneo in their aspirations of reclaiming the UAAP crown.
“I don't lead by talking. I lead by example. I go hard every
practice and I push them, try to get the best out of them as soon as possible,
kasi you want results immediately,” he said.
Could this be the year the 6-foot guard take home the MVP
award?
Prognosis:
Perasol believes that this season will be a year of struggle
for Ateneo, knowing the players, rediscovering the system, and preparing for
the future.
But a promising rookie class, led by Thirdy Ravena and Arvin
Tolentino, can change that idea, and if these guys overachieve, this season can
be far better than what Perasol expects it to be.
Unlike in the previous years, the Blue Eagles will be
thoroughly undersized, as they will rely on the efforts of Tolentino, Alfonso
Gotladera, and Kris Porter to grab those boards.
Also not helping is the absence of a pure point guard, as
Nico Elorde will be the only one to fill up that gaping hole.
What Perasol hopes this season is that his players will take
cover for each other and go hand-in-hand in undertaking this process, in what
could possibly be the start of a bright future for the Katipunan boys.
That doesn’t mean that we are expecting them to miss the
Final Four this season, because there’s a big chance that they will make it to
the last dance.
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