Reflections of a wounded Tiger by Ariane Karlo F. Sacamos (from www.varsitarian.com archive)

Reflections of a wounded Tiger

NIPPED ON THE CLAW. Sensing impending ‘danger’ from the rampaging Dylan Ababou, Ateneo rookie Nonoy Baclao opts to foul the cat-quick 6’3” slotman instead of giving him a free lane to the basket.

IT WAS the last two minutes of the ballgame. Cold sweat dripped from UST Tiger Dylan Ababou’s yellow jersey. He looked at the clock and realized that they could be two minutes away from victory or from being dethroned. Then he made a three-pointer that trimmed the lead down to only five points, 65-60. That seemed to have been the lift they badly needed. But no matter how hard Dylan and his teammates tried to close in and keep their back-to-back championship hopes alive, it wasn’t enough. The buzzer had already sounded. Girding for ‘vengeance’ The day before the game, Dylan did his normal routine - go to class and go to basketball practice. But during that day’s practice, the UST Tigers were not just practicing for a normal game—they were practicing for their stepladder semifinals tussle against Season 69 first runner-up, the Ateneo Blue Eagles. It was a “win-or-go-home” situation for both teams. During the practice, Coach Pido Jarencio was his usual tongue-lashing-self. He told his boys to be aggressive and tough because those qualities would be the factors that will determine the next day’s outcome. “We can’t lose tomorrow’s game. And (Ateneo) won’t win against us,” Dylan said in Filipino recalling Coach Pido’s words. Dylan said that Coach Pido wanted them to have that kind of mentality when they meet the Blue Eagles the following day. In their rubbermatch against the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws last September 17, Coach Pido had combined two sets of defensive strategies. In a normal FEU offense, the Tigers executed a man-to-man defense. But when UST committed a foul, they would switch to a two-three zone defense on the next possession. That kind of defensive set confused the relatively inexperienced Tamaraws that led to numerous FEU turnovers and a win for UST. Coach Pido thought that maybe the coaches of the other teams were trying to “scout” their defensive sets so they tried to use a different one. For the game against the Blue Eagles, the Tigers tried to use a different kind of defensive set. At first, they had executed a man-to-man defense but whenever Ateneo fed the ball to the post, the Tigers would execute a two-three zone defense to contain Ateneo’s big men such as the stocky Ford Arao and the lanky Nonoy Baclao. Dylan said that they had to “be smart and play with heart” for them to win the game. Not only it was the semifinals, but Dylan added that the game was “payback time” for them because during the second round of the eliminations, Ateneo “escaped” thanks to Kirk Long’s bailout fade-away jumper with less than two second left in the contest. Game-day It was game-day. Dylan woke up at 9 a.m. on that rainy Sunday morning. He would normally wake up earlier but Coach Pido adviced them to wake up at that time during game days so they would be fresh come game time. Then, he went to school to meet his teammates before going to the Big Dome. At the bus going to Araneta, the players were just having fun. But Dylan saw that some players were not really having fun. They just laughed with their teammates even though they felt the pressure of the do-or-die game. “Nakita ko sa mata nila na may konting pressure. ‘Yung parang pag ngingiti sila, pilit,” Dylan said. He could see the pressure in their eyes because they also tinkered with the possibility of losing. At the dugout in Araneta, Coach Pido discussed thier game plan. He said that the scoring of Ateneo’s key players should be limited. Dylan said that it was better for those players not to score in double digits. Coach Pido also told his boys to just follow the three P’s: to play with Pride, to play with (heart) “Puso,” and to be (aggressive) “Palaban.” Dylan later told his teammates to just “loosen up” and to “think positive” because if they were too “tight” and pressured, they would be prone to committing a lot of turnovers. The game Capitalizing on the absence of the sweet-shooting Chris Tiu in Ateneo’s starting line-up, the Tigers took the driver’s seat with a 9-2 first-quarter run. The Blue Eagles tried to employ an early press but UST just scorched Ateneo’s defensive ploy with a bushel of fast-break points. The Tigers also controlled the boards, enabling them to finish the quarter with an eight-point lead. The second quarter was a different story. Tiu started to heat up. He scored eight of his 14 points in the first few minutes. The Tigers became hesitant in taking their shots due to Ateneo’s good defense. They also committed a lot of miscues which led to several bungled scoring opportunities. Moments later, the Blue Eagles captured the lead when the seldom-used Michael Baldos sank two of his career-high seven points from the foul line with 46 seconds remaining in the quarter. The Blue Eagles turned their first quarter deficit into a 32-30 halftime lead. Although Dylan scored seven points in the third, he was virtually left on his own as no one among his teammates was able to back him up while Ateneo was thriving on a balanced offensive production from its second stringers like Baclao and Baldos. The Blue Eagles ended the quarter on top, 55-51. The payoff period still belonged to the Blue Eagles, who then padded the lead to 11 points, 65-54. The España-based dribblers tried to stop the bleeding as Dylan waxed hot anew. But the last three-pointer he made was the closest the Tigers could get. The Blue Eagles hung on the lead even as UST had utilized a shooting lineup to chase them. ‘God’s plan’ Dylan had a good feeling about winning the game. Even in the dying seconds when Ateneo was poised to win the game, he felt that they would still be able to snatch the victory with a miracle shot. There was one instance during the fourth quarter when the Tigers trapped Ateneo’s big men on the post. It was the time when the momentum shifted to UST. When Dylan was able to corner Arao, the latter tried to zip a pass to a teammate. Dylan thought that the pass was too short and Japs Cuan would be able to steal the ball away. But the ball instead went to Eric Salamat, who eventually made a three-point play. Dylan thought that it was impossible for Japs not to have recovered the ball because he was already in the passing lane when Arao made the pass. Misfortune even struck Dylan when, as he was about to get the defensive rebound, the ball slipped off his hands and went to Nonoy Baclao who easily scored on a put-back. “It really wasn’t for us. The first thing I thought was that God had a better plan for us,” Dylan said. At home, Dylan had a one-on-one with God. “I trust Him and I don’t blame Him for what happened,” he said. UST rookie sensation Khasim Mirza was a non-factor in the game as he was zero-of-six from the three-point stripe and scored a measly three points—well below his 15-point average. During the first round of eliminations, he was the one responsible for the Tigers’ thrashing of the Blue Eagles, 87-74, as he scored a career-high 25 points. The reason for his sub-par effort was because he had flu during that game, Dylan said. However, he did not blame Khasim nor the latter’s illness for their defeat. Tiger’s thoughts The next day was not a normal school day for Dylan. “I was sad and I thought that this season was a failure. Although we were able to make the Final Four, we weren’t able to achieve a back-to-back (championship),” he said. “All the things we worked hard for last summer were wasted. We’ll think about that for one year and we’ll again prepare for another year,” he added. But Dylan was not that depressed because many people said that “It’s okay. You still had a great game.” Host’s ‘curse’ No host seniors’ basketball team in the history of the Universities Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) has ever been crowned champion, legitimately or otherwise. The Tigers, hosts of the UAAP 70th season, has fulfilled that prophecy once again. And Dylan is starting to believe that the host’s “curse” is true. In 2004, the La Salle Green Archers, who hosted Season 67, nearly broke the curse after bagging the cage title against FEU. But they had to return the championship trophy to the Tamaraws after two of their players were found out to have faked their academic credentials. Last season, the UE Red Warriors were the hosts. They were the pre-season favorites to win the crown because they had a very deep lineup. They had players like Bon Bon Custodio, the 6’3” Mark Borboran, and former Rookie of the Year Marcy Arellano. They were not able to win the championship as the Tigers ousted them in the Final Four despite their twice-to-beat advantage. Preparations As part of their preparations, for Season 71, the Tigers will join the upcoming Philippine Basketball League (PBL) season. In their previous stint in the PBL as UST-Kettle Korn, they were winless in 14 outings. Dylan, however, thinks that a PBL experience would be helpful to them because of the league’s more competitive atmosphere Meanwhile UAAP MVP Jervy Cruz will be donning the national colors in the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in Thailand this December. Anthony Espiritu, Jun Cortez, June Dizon, and Rum Perry Scott will not be in the lineup next season due to graduation. But despite their absence, Dylan thinks they can still win the championship. “They’re a big part of the team but the nucleus is still there,” he said. Dylan realized that their loss somehow had a positive effect on them. “At least, we’ll be able to return next season with a vengeance. It’s in us. We’ll show that we’ll work harder in the off-season during our practices. The fire in us will be more passionate and we’re going to be stronger than ever,” he concluded. Ariane Karlo F. Sacamos* *EDITOR’S NOTE: The author, a third-year AB journalism student at the Faculty of Arts and Letters, wrote this article originally for his Literary Journalism class under Prof, Lito B. Zulueta, the Varsitarian’s publications adviser.  Vol. LXXIX, No. 5 • November 21, 2007

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Year End Report *updated*

January 2007...

I must admit kahit ilang buwan na ang lumipas nang magchampion ang pinakamamahal kong tigers, di pa rin ako over dun.  Ewan ko ba. Adik? Oo adik ako. ;)
Busy busyhan sa feasib, February na kasi ang defense namin e. Napapadalas ang tambay namin sa library para i finalize ang feasib. Hmm, kung tama ang pagkakatanda ko, January din ata namin napagtripan si anna para sa date sa grad ball. Na send ni russel ang joketime message kay...itago na lang natin sa pangalang...Mickey Mouse...

Birthday din ni Bestfriend...di tlga dapat ako magoovernyt nun eh kaso nakainom na rin ako and according to my bestfriend..."LASING KA NA! TAMA NA YAN." 1 bote plang ng san mig naiinom ko nun.  Tapos eto naman si gilbert co inaalok pa ko...kaya ayun nasabihan ako ni bestfriend... Then aun nga, dun na kami natulog ni Kath...the next day...hindi ko maintidihan kung san nanggaling un red rosebud sa bag ko...hanggang ngaun di ko pa rin alam kung kanino galing un...Galing sa birthday celeb ni bestfriend bumalik ako sa ust para sa aming feasib...gumawa ulit kami ng DUCK TOCINO sa bahay nila kath for our defense..

February 2007

Defense namin...ok naman...after defense, nagpa thai massage kami. 
Gawa ulit ng feasib...grabe ang dami ng revisions ha.  Pumunta ako ng pateros again for the pictures and site map.  Sila Kath Russel and Kix busy sa pagbago ng mga kailangan baguhin...naguiguilty tuloy ako, ang naitulong ko lang e paggawa ng duck tocino at ang
February din un pinaiyak kami ni Old Maid kasi pag di raw namin sinunod ang format niya d daw kami ggraduate (WTF) buti nalang e Sir Lopez kami. We love you sir lopez!

pagpunta punta sa pateros...parang rider lang...

March 2007

Baccalaureate Mass and Graduation Day...
Masaya ako dahil graduate na kami...Finally...and masaya din for Dong and Ciz and sa mga UST Athletes..kasabay namin sila grumaduate!  Apply sa mga companies then interviews...

April 2007

I worked for my ninang sa Makati Med as a Medical Secretary.  Met new friends, ang mga medrep...mga idol! Walk in applicant sa SGV...exam then interviewed by sir ted.

May 2007

Hired as an Executive Assistant reliever sa SGV

June 2007

Reliever pa rin. Naexperience ko ang magcollect for the Fiscal year end :)

July 2007 - October 2007

sorry if super haba ng post dito sa mga months na to...yah know...part na ng buhay ko ang UST Tigers.

UAAP Season 70 opening astig talaga ang uste!

Sun Jul 8, 2007	L - UE	60-73	0-1	1st
Sat Jul 14, 2007	L - FEU	66-81	0-2	1st
Thu Jul 19, 2007	W - ADU	96-84	1-2	1st
Sat Jul 21, 2007	W - UP	76-68	2-2	1st
Thu Jul 26, 2007	W - NU	83-72	3-2	1st
Sun Jul 29, 2007	L - DLSU	86-90	3-3	1st
Sat Aug 4, 2007	W - ADMU	87-74	4-3	1st
Sat Aug 11, 2007	W - DLSU	81-73	5-3	2nd
Sun Aug 19, 2007	L - UE	82-99	5-4	2nd
Sun Aug 26, 2007	W - NU	84-72	6-4	2nd
Thu Aug 30, 2007	L - ADMU	71-72	6-5	2nd
Sun Sep 2, 2007	W - UP	77-61	7-5	2nd
Sun Sep 9, 2007	W - ADU	74-62	8-5	2nd
Thu Sep 13, 2007	L - FEU	73-84	8-6	2nd
Mon Sep 17, 2007	W - FEU	80-69	RBM	RBM
Sun Sep 23, 2007	L - ADMU	64-69	RBM	RBM

ROUND ONE Games

1st game UE vs. UST...late kami dumating...mukha akong tanga pagdaan ng bus ng UST, namamalimos ng ticket sa tigers...haha tinawagan ko pa nga si japs kung may extra e. Luckily, si aaron, friend ni preci nakakuha ng tickets for us. Natalo pero ayos lang. Sayang birthday gift sana ng tigers kay russel yun. ;(

2nd game UST vs. FEU...we watched the game live...again...talo...nawala na ang "magic" ng lucky charms...

3rd game UST vs. ADU...wasn't able to watch the game live...may work e... :(

4th game UST vs. UP...i'm not really sure if we watched this game live...uhm was this the first game rj watched? as in live?

5th game UST vs. NU...again because of work, i wasn't able to watch it live..:(

6th game UST vs. DLSU...watched this game live with anna. oh well...talo...tsktsk

7th game UST vs. ADMU...watched this game live with anna and rj...waited for the eagles...pero sobrang tagal nila...and i remember dylan's windang moment..
Dylan: san ka? (talking to rj)
RJ: sa bulacan
Dylan: ah ingat ha. malayo ka pa...lapit lang yun di ba?

tawa nalang kami dylan :)

ROUND TWO Games

1st game UST vs. DLSU argh! sayang we weren't able to watch this game live...super exciting pa naman ng game na ito...

2nd game UST vs. UE again, we didn't have tickets for this game... :( um...this was the game when i told "lechon" na pagtripan si "palito"

3rd game UST vs. NU updates from rj lang ako nito...again...work e... :(

4th game UST vs. ADMU... takas mode...bought my admu jacket...jinx un...talo ust...met oping...got micmic's number xe na reformat fone ko...ayaw pa maniwala na close kami ng kuya nya...

5th game UST vs. UP...basta alam ko panalo ust... :)

6th game UST vs. ADU...Met up with the ADIKS...mass sa UST...was this the takas mode sa araneta? ibang takas mode ito...i think this was the game na we had 2 upper a tickets from anna's tito and 3 upper b tickets from the ust alumni office.  Jervy's birthday! First time to watch the game with the DreamGirls. :) During the ADMU DLSU game, dahil adik ako, suot ko ang jacket ko even if we were seated sa side ng DLSU... :) both UST and ADMU won... :) ym with kix and rj up to 1 am ng sept. 10. 

7th game UST vs. FEU...takas mode again...thanks to khriz and karen! ang upper a tickets ay naging lowerbox tickets. :) um...saw pj walsham...shet...di siya suplado... dlsu and ue 2nd round game...brian ilad punched famps...hehehe...talo dlsu...yabang nnman si mr. martinez...tsktsktsk...

UST FEU playoff for fourth...again takas mode...thanks again to kix karen and khriz for the patron ticket. :) "It ain't over till the tigers say it's over - DG" UST won and got the chance for the stepladder game against ADMU.

UST ADMU game bday treat with the adiks sa kfe este kfc...haha...weh ka kix...ikaw ang jinx...kunwari magaaral ...last game for the tigers...it really broke our hearts seeing the tigers and coach pido cry. :(  Hug opportunity for me kay Dong...and according to the Adiks... maraming nagulat sa nakita nila...hehehe...wellwellwell (sori yabang) hahaha... :)

kala niyo pang ust lang ako? nde noh... pang DLSU and UE din ako noh... takas mode again to buy the tickets for the UE DLSU Finals game 2...the next day...pila again...hoping na makakuha ng better tickets...pero wala...ayus lang...hehehe...mixed feelings...dahil panalo ang dlsu at talo ang ue...tsktsktsk...malabo tlga ako kausap...
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uaap related: di ko expected na magaabala si kix and si russel na pumunta sa ust para sa bday video greeting nila, imee and the tigers for me. kay rj na ginawa un video...guys...super touched ako...sobra...

di ako nagtatampo kay japs na wala sa video, binati naman kasi niya ko thru txt msg. :)

October - December 2007

October 13 - Bantay Bata UAAP vs. NCAA All Stars... nuod ng game with DG, Kix, Khriz, Karen and Bryan. :) haha may exposure na naman...ang DG pumunta sa party at kami nila kix, karen and khriz ay nagbonding. :)

October 20 - PBL V-Go Conference Opening...oh shet...picture with pj walsham...hahaha :)

4 games lang ng Team Jorel este Harbour Centre ang namiss ko...wag na kayo magtanong...as always...takas mode si ickay na pasaway... :)

December 30, 2007 - Siyempre...Champion ang Harbour Centre...yeah 4-peat!!!
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December 7, 2007 - um...umepal ako...hehe...windang moment sa bus with imee and vany and the tigers...for the antipolo cup...don't ask...as always...takas mode...










December 19, 2007 - PBL game...Paskuhan with the rest of the YUAP Family...ADIKS less Kix, DG less Stef and TY plus Jet also with Paz and Bou at ang aadik adik na si Mark...guys...it was really nice meeting you all :) 

*oh yeah tnx imee for reminding... memorable paskuhan ito coz un nga i saw my brother in law(bakit kasi di mo sinama ang minamahal ko, ayan tuloy naguluhan ako, kinilig ako sa iyo) kuya pat villanueva, kuya cyrus baguio, idol jojo who made imee and alyssa happy. :) at ang OMG paul sanga moment ni vany pearl. :)

to add, nakita ko rin si ces caabay, precom classmate and sila hannah, tin and gel.
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Work Related: Attended the MCC/CRM Cluster Christmas Party, MC1 Party at the Blue Leaf Pavillion sa The Fort. :)

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over all my year 2007 was great

...met new friends

...had a lovelife...technically

...nabuo ang YUAP family

...i fell stupidly in love, with "him" and (--,) but i must admit that i miss "him"

...proved that not all lasalleans are airheads and not all ateneans are nice...

...i have a job and i am now helping my parents pay the water, electricity and telephone bills

...met inigo who sort of messed my life...haha joke lang inigo. :)