CHRIS Koon has heard all the talk about Ateneo entering UAAP Season 87 and he’s not about to let these preseason projections bring him and his team down.
With Kai Ballungay heading to the pros and Mason Amos jumping ship to rival La Salle right in the middle of their preparation for Season 87 – expectations for the Blue Eagles are pretty low this season, even after a brilliant seven-year stretch which saw them win the championship four times under the tutelage of head coach Tab Baldwin.
As one of the captains of this team alongside Sean Quitevis, the versatile 6’4 guard-wing is setting the bar high for him and his team.
READ UAAP Season 87 will be proving ground for these players
“Winning a championship, that’s always the goal. Even though expectations are low, we have our own expectations. We want to prove a lot of people wrong and hopefully make the Ateneo community proud,” Koon said.
“After winning in (Season) 85 you kind of know what it felt like, so you want that feeling back. So we’re definitely going to go for that.”
The graduating Fil-American recruit understands where those projections are coming from – especially after going winless in the Filoil Preseason Cup, with most of their losses coming from blowouts.
But that was a thing of the past. A lot of things can change in a span of three months and he’s confident that the Blue Eagles are on the right path when it comes to building a team that’s ready to compete and shatter lowly expectations come the UAAP which kicks off on September 7.
Their training camps in Australia and Taiwan – where they went unbeaten – gives Koon the confidence that they can take on any team on any given night.
“I would say I’m just trusting the process. Kind of a cliche thing but I feel like for the past seven months I feel like the first five or six is kind of rough,” Koon admitted.
“Filoil, we didn’t really win a game but then we went to Australia, we learned a lot, we also had an overseas trip in Taiwan and recently we’ve won a lot of games and I think it’s kind of shown our work ethic, how we’ve trusted the process, trusted what the coaches are telling us. I’m pretty optimistic about this season so I’m excited.”
Personally, Koon is making sure to take care of his body as he’s expected to take the brunt of the minutes being one of the few remaining players from that championship winning squad in Season 85.
“I’m super motivated. I feel like I’ve worked on my body a lot more. Taking recovery a lot more seriously, so I’m hoping it will show during the season to help the team get some wins,” he said.
Koon eyes fitting farewell
And for Koon, who skipped out playing college ball in the states to play for Ateneo, breaking the lowly expectations would be the perfect parting gift that he’ll give to coach Tab and the community as he plays out his final year of eligibility.
“It will mean everything (to shatter everyone’s expectations). It’s my last season, it’s Sean’s last season, to hopefully win a championship would be amazing. We’re doing it for coach Tab and the Ateneo community and our teammates,” he said.
“I just wanna win a championship, man.”
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
