Ateneo shoots for crown

Games on Sunday (Araneta Coliseum)
3 p.m. — UAAP Awarding Ceremonies
3:30 p.m. — UE vs Ateneo

Defending titlist Ateneo tries to become the first team in four years to repeat as champions when it goes for the clincher against University of the East this Sunday in the 72nd UAAP basketball tournament Finals at 3:30 p.m. at the Araneta Coliseum.

Behind the exploits of Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Jai Reyes, the Blue Eagles staved off the spirited challenge of the Red Warriors for a 78-71 win and move within the threshold of the school’s fifth title since joining the league in 1978.

Another victory would give the Loyola-based squad their first back-to-back since the 1987-88 seasons.

Interestingly, this Sunday is the 22nd anniversary of Ateneo’s first championship when it rallied from 20 points down in the second half to beat UE at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.

Far Eastern University, led by Arwind Santos, was the last team to win consecutive championships when it won three straight from 2003-2005.

FEU’s feat was helped by the league when it awarded the Tamaraws the 2004 crown after La Salle relinquished the title due to a player eligibility scandal.

Prior to that, the Archers were the previous squad to achieve that feat winning four straight from 1998-2001 led by the likes of Don Allado, Renren Ritualo, Mike Cortez, and Mac Cardona.

History is clearly on Ateneo's side as 11 of 15 teams that won Game 1 went on to capture the championship. But the Eagles were one of those four teams that went on to lose the series despite winning Game 1.

And that is against the University of Santo Tomas three years ago.

Coach Norman Black expects to have a much better performance from his team this time around after seeing the Eagles blew a 17-point second quarter lead before coming through with a strong second half to pull away.

“I am confident that we would play well on Sunday (today). I actually wasn’t sure about Game 1 because we haven’t taken a long layoff since the start of the season but we were able to do things that we do well,” Black said.

The former PBA Best Import is seeking to join the likes of Baby Dalupan in the elite class of coaches who won consecutive titles in both the pro and collegiate ranks.