What these Growling Tigers can learn from UST's 2006 championship team

What it will take for UST's current squad to be the next 'Team of Destiny'
Nov 18, 2019
PHOTO: Jerome Ascano

This year's UST Growling Tigers squad was supposed to show that it was the next "Team of Destiny."

Coach Aldin Ayo and his crew have the makings of UST's last championship group from 2006: they were in survival mode for majority of UAAP Season 82 (8-6 win-loss record as the fourth seed) and the stepladder Final Four (three do-or-die games against FEU, then UP), not to mention being at risk from losing a key piece (poaching issue involving rookie Rhenz Abando).

But instead of losing by a single possession to the No. 1 team in the collegiate league, the Growling Tigers got a rude awakening from the still-undefeated Ateneo Blue Eagles, who led by as much 23 points (final score: 91-77) in the opening match of the men's basketball finals.

It will take more than big performances from Rookie of the Year Mark Nonoy (26 points, seven three-pointers) and Most Valuable Player Soulemane Chabi Yo (13 markers, 10 rebounds) for the Espana-based squad to offset Ateneo's efficient attack (52.1 percent field goal shooting compared to UST's 37.8) and team defense (7 to 2 steals). Two-time Finals MVP Thirdy Ravena was a man among boys (32 points on 12-of-15 shooting, five boards, three assists).

The incumbent Growling Tigers might want to take cues from the underdog ways of their title-clinching predecessors — some of whom were in attendance last Saturday— if they wish to recreate the inspiring 2006 upset of the heavily favored Eagles.

Take it one possession at a time

Unlike the tightly contested Game 1 between USTe and ADMU 13 years ago (73-72), which was decided by a Doug Kramer game-winner, this year's iteration saw the Blue Eagles bolting out of the gate for a blistering 20-4 start, which they never looked relinquished. Nonoy and Co. tried to catch up with their signature three-point barrage (14-of-41 from deep), but the Eagles were too cautious and far ahead to surrender their early lead.

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Former UAAP MVP Dylan Ababou, who was also named Sixth Man of the Year as a sophomore during their title season, believes that the Tigers should slow things down and turn mistakes into opportunities.

"Try to improve every possession, and then every quarter, and then every game," said Ababou, who led UST with 22 points in their 87-71 series-tying victory back then. "Ang focus progress, not perfection. 'Pag nagkamali, okay lang 'yun. Bawi lang nang bawi, palag lang nang palag."

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    D up on everyone else

    Ravena's dominance was reminiscent of ex-King Eagle JC Intal, who spearheaded then-Ateneo coach Norman Black's offense as the UAAP Breakout Player of the Season and a member of the Mythical Five.

    Intal was responsible for almost a third of his team's output in their first two Finals outings, topscoring with 21 and 23, respectively. That being said, the Growling Tigers have a better chance of coming back against Thirdy on his own than the entire Blue Eagles.

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    Making this a one-man show will be easier said than done, though, especially with Tab Baldwin finding great success in his democratic system. Ayo has to rejig his patented mayhem defense if they hope to shut down the likes of Angelo Kouame (18 points, 12 rebounds), SJ Belangel (12 points, four threes, five assists), and Matt Nieto (four points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals).

    Make the most of second chances

    UST's slight advantage on offensive rebounding despite ADMU's size advantage (18 to 14) was indicative of the former's poor shooting and vain effort. CJ Cansino made up for his four points with a game-high 13 boards, while Chabi Yo had seven offensive caroms. For alum Jojo Duncil, this just means that the Tigers need to work even harder in the face of their overwhelming rivals.

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    "Since malakas 'yung kalaban...'yung miracle kailangan hindi lang extra effort, extraordinary effort dapat. Kasi kung hundred percent 'yung goal mo, ibigay mo na lahat, 101 percent," said the 2006 Finals MVP, who poured eight points in the decider's extra period on their way to the championship.

    Ayo and the Growling Tigers will go back to the drawing board, with their sole focus being a reverse sweep over Ateneo. Taking a page out of Duncil, Ababou, and the last Team of Destiny's book is a good start.

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    PHOTO: Jerome Ascano
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