UAAP Season 74 (2011)

[Jumperman]

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It's that time of the year again, when the fires of school spirit burn at their brightest.

ADMU is this year's host, and they're planning an Olympic-style opening ceremony to be held at the Marikina Sports Center. That's on July 9, Saturday.

The following day, the hoops festivities will kick off at the Araneta Coliseum with last year's Final Four cast squaring off in a re-staging of last year's semi-finals. Budding rival green schools DLSU and FEU will play in the first game, followed by the defending champions and 4-peat seeking host team meeting Adamson in round one of this year's "Battle of the Birds".

There's plenty to be excited about this season because we're seeing an influx of talent coming in. Kiefer Ravena, Bobby Ray Parks, Kevin Ferrer, Greg Slaughter, Norbert Torres, Arnold Van Opstal, to name a few, will be making their respective debuts.

The avid basketball nut should have read his/her share of forecasts from the many different fora and sports sites by now, so let's not get left behind and start our own little discussions here.

1st Round Schedule

[crossramz]

hmm hope it will be a live coverage on abs-cbn kay wala mi tarong signal sa studio 23.

[Jumperman]

Will the status quo ante be maintained insofar as the favorites are concerned, or are we still up for a few surprises?

Ateneo is definitely the team to beat this year, even minus Ryan Buenafe and Arthur Dela Cruz. Why? Because they have Ravena and Slaughter coming in to fortify the already formidable lineup, and they're coached by a certain Norman Black, who is known for steering SMB to a grandslam in the PBA.

For the superstitious, the only reason they MIGHT have to worry is the so-called "curse of the host school" (host school never wins). It can be recalled that back in 2003, when they were also the hosts, they made their third straight Finals appearance and earned the chance to defend the title they had won the previous year. They were missing a main cog in Enrico "Raging Bull" Villanueva but nonetheless they were still stacked, with LA Tenorio, Wesley Gonzales, Rich Alvarez, Larry Fonacier, and the rest. In the end, they were upended by FEU, led by Arwind Santos and the rest of the Tamaraw bunch in what turned out to be the start of their own ascent to UAAP glory.

But the weapons in their armory, the four-peat at stake, and the fact that they are now being coached by a veteran in Norman Black should make it easier for the Ateneo faithful to breathe (although a repeat of 2003 isn't very far-fetched).

[idwyt]

"curse of the host school"? La Salle did it on the following year (2004). Although the UAAP gave the title to FEU after La Salle admitted some eligibility issues during those years.

[Jumperman]

Exactly one of the reasons why people said the curse did exist Before La Salle won that year, no host school had ever gone on to take home the bacon. Just when they thought La Salle had broken the jinx, the Greenies ended up losing it in the boardroom

Recently, FEU's debacle in 2009 (losing to the underdog UE team even if they had the twice-to-beat) again gave rise to all that "curse" talk hehe

[Jumperman]

First Game Notes: FEU vs DLSU

FEU beat La Salle 74-65. The score doesn't really reflect the true story of the game.

FEU
-Showed that they're still here to stay. They're a veteran team and they played like it, not allowing the La Salle runs to shake them and remaining focused and composed. RR Garcia is still an assassin and mercurial forward JR Cawaling (fortunately) had a decent outing, both guys contributing to the win. Last year's ROY Terrence Romeo also distributed the ball well, although sometimes I feel he should cut back on the fancy mini-showboating. They don't have Reil Cervantes anymore and with Pipou Noundou still out of commission there was a gaping hole in the middle (Aldrech Ramos is not really a low post threat/scorer, he just cleans up the glass and shoots from midrange). Carl Cruz and Anton Bringas are good shock troopers though so they should be able to cushion the loss of those two other big men. Total effort from the team will be needed for them to rake in the wins.

DLSU
-Notwithstanding the loss, I think they can contend this year. If they keep the TOs down and play smarter, they'll be alright. They're already a step in that direction by having LA Revilla as the lead PG. Bad time for veteran Simon Atkins to play like a rookie, that was a display of poor shot selection for him. The Archers have size but they didn't exploit that advantage in this game, the ball didn't consistently get sent down to the low block. People say this every year, but maybe they should get a better big man coach especially since they have a promising bunch of bigs. Norbert Torres and Arnold Van Opstal will be instrumental to the Archer campaign, they're both good rookies.

[Jumperman]

Second Game Notes: ADMU vs AdU

Ateneo won 55-51 in come-from-behind fashion. Credit Ateneo for their heady play, but it was really Adamson that plucked this loss from the jaws of victory.

ADMU
-Cebuano pride Oping Sumalinog is finally getting major minutes and was made a starter. While he had 0 points to show, his confidence will only continue to grow and eventually he'll be a major factor for the Blue Eagles. Greg Slaughter as expected was the focal point of the offense and abused the Adamson bigs for 23 points. He might be league MVP this season if Ateneo continues to win, I'm calling it as early as now. The absence of Ryan Buenafe will truly be felt, the bench isn't as deep anymore and there's no one else to go to when the starters take their seats. Kiefer Ravena had a forgettable UAAP debut, scoring 0 points (credit also to Canada and the other AdU guards for managing to stay in front of Ravena. It wasn't opening game jitters, he just never got a clear shot and didn't force the issue. That says a lot about Ravena's basketball IQ).

Adamson
-Adamson is a very solid basketball team. While their players aren't exactly the cream of the crop they play with a lot of grit and heart. They have good players in every position and play Leo Austria-brand defense. But it seems that they're forgetting that basketball is also about putting the ball through the hoop. The Falcons seriously need to make baskets, they are wanting in the scoring department. Outside of Lester Alvarez and Alex Nuyles, there's really no other consistent scoring threat (even the two aforementioned guys aren't exactly consistent). With that kind of shot selection during close games, games which are really in the bag for them, they can't expect to win. Of course, Cebuano (a former Don Bosco Greywolf like Sumalinog) Jerick Canada has occasional great scoring games and so do bangers Jan Colina (another Cebuano from UC HS, who gave a valiant effort in defending Slaughter who was much taller and bigger) and Eric Camson, and there's gunner Roider Cabrera, but they have to be consistent. They can't expect to win when all they rely on are their mini scoring runs and "weather-weather" streaks. They have to devise a way to make better scoring opportunities. They have a sliver of a chance to win it all this season, and this is their last clear shot at it because Canada, Alvarez, Colina, Nuyles - the mainstays from the last 4-5 years - are using up their eligibility. It'd be great to see them AT LEAST put an end to the losing streak vs Ateneo this season. They have another opportunity in the second round.

(Side note: What do you think of the new Adamson uniform? It's similar to the circa-1996 Atlanta Hawks jersey with a big bird of prey plastered on the front. I couldn't see it very clearly from where I was seated and I didn't really like it but my cousin who watched with me did. And now that I've checked online, a lot of people seem to be praising this year's jersey design. Is it just me? LOL)

[Hammer_and_Sickle]

wew, ngilngiga aning slaughter oy,

[inc-pankz]

FEU ADMU. . my top 2 teams. .

Tolomia of FEU is a promising young rookie.

Greg, unstoppable down the shaded area, murag naa chance ma MVP, ang nka nindot ky Guards is looking to pass at Greg. .ge gamit jd, and murag naay improvement c greg sa iyang footwork and iyang build up.

Next player to watch is ray parks

[KateDaGreatest]

I know it's too early to tell but I'm looking forward to another FEU-ADMU match up in the finals. And I'm hoping that the 'host team curse' will work this time. hahaha.