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Nov 10

Burp….The Cake was Good!!!

by Tony L. Atayde
2,417 Views | 31 Comments

It’s has been over a month since the De La Salle Green Archers surprised everyone when they swept the UE Red Warriors in the finals of the UAAP. The celebration has not stopped and the bragging rights will continue until the opening of Season 71. The other side of the coin is that the sour graping has also not stopped. It must be hard for many people to accept that La Salle came from suspension to champion. But to every Lasallian, the feeling is great.

I have heard it all! From the refs being paid to the conspiracy theory that the Pumaren brothers fixed the outcome of the championship, it has all been said. Well my friends, the truth is actually very simple. A great coach plus a determined team equals a championship. Live with it!

I say a great coach because I do not think there is a better college coach today than Franz Pumaren. He understands the dynamics of collegiate basketball. He is a great motivator who gets the most from his players. But to me, the most significant characteristic of Coach Franz is that he is a Lasallian. He carries his school pride with him everywhere he goes.

Coach Dindo Pumaren is also going to be a great coach soon. He will have his day in the spotlight. It’s in his genes. Father Pilo and brothers, Derrick and Franz have all proven themselves winners. Dindo will get his chance. It’s nice to know that Dindo is also a Lasallian. I can’t remember the last time when 2 coaches who played for the same school, coached against each other in an NCAA or UAAP finals.

If I were to choose the one turning point of this season, I would have to say that it was Ateneo’s loss to NU. That unlikely win by the Bulldogs changed the complexion of the playoffs completely. Had Ateneo won that game, they would have probably ended up in the finals and UE would have handily beaten them. Of course, this is all in hindsight but I’m sure the Blue Eagles will consider that loss one of the most critical in recent history.

La Salle will be losing 3 players in Tang, Villanueva and Ilad. But the recruitment is going quite well, with Joshua Webb ready to move up to DLSU. I would love to see him and Maierhofer playing together. In addition, it will be interesting to see at least 4 homegrown players in Batricevic, Ferdinand, Atkins and Webb playing for La Salle.

UE will definitely be a strong contender next year. UST will have an almost intact team. FEU will definitely improve from its great showing this year. Of course, the defending champions, La Salle, will be a force….again!

I don’t know about Ateneo. They claim to have landed Buenafe and another player from Chang Kai Shek. They are losing Ford Arao and rumor has it that Chris Tiu may not be back. So does this mean that they may also cut some player in their present line-up to beef up their squad? Norman Black changed his substitution pattern midway through the season. He benched Jobe Nkemakolam and Barracoso. But he also lacked size in his guards with Salamat, Escueta, Monfort and Jai Reyes. Coach Norman Black will definitely be under a lot of pressure in Season 71.

NU is losing a number of their key players while UP and Adamson will have a change of coaches.

Well, I guess I better get back to enjoying the championship with the rest of the Lasallian community. There are 8 more months till the next season. Gosh, it feels good!