The 2002 Ateneo Team: What Made Them Special?

Before he was "The Raging Bull" in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Enrico Villanueva was bullying his way to the basket as a player of the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP). And yes, he was a member that Blue Eagles team that won it all in Season 65. And if those who remembered that season, that championship run by the Joel Banal-mentored Ateneo squad was seemingly a Cinderella run to many owing to the fact that they almost missed the Final Four. In fact, the UAAP almost didn't have the traditional Final Four format that year as the De La Salle Green Archers almost swept the elimination rounds. Almost. 

As Marco Benitez said it during an interview with Mico Halili, the 2002 Ateneo team had the greatest comeback of all time. 

Heading into the final game of the elimination round, the Green Archers of Mike Cortez, Willie Wilson, Adonis Sta. Maria, Mac Cardona among others were looking to go straight to the UAAP Finals with a win over their archrivals from Katipunan. After all, they were the reigning champions and were looking for their fifth straight championships under Coach Franz Pumaren. Then, Ateneo took a shocking 83-71 over then-defending champions thanks to a run that was engineered by Wesley Gonzales and Andrew Cruz. The traditional Final Four format took place and Ateneo had to beat a James Yap-led University of the East Red Warriors who had the twice-to-beat advantage for being the number two team after the 14-game eliminations.

After beating the Red Warriors in their first Final Four game where Most Valuable Player (MVP) candidate James Yap was limited to only four points, the winner-take-all Game Two of the Final Four was a true classic and an unforgettable game especially if you're an Ateneo fan.

As a matter of fact, UE had multiple chances to seal the deal and book a return trip to the UAAP Finals but couldn't get the job done as James Yap missed the three-pointer in the final seconds that could have iced the game. UE was able to get the offensive rebound and could have opted for the final shot as the score was tied at 70 apiece. Instead, Paul Artadi threw the ball out of bounds, enabling Joel Banal to call a timeout and draw up a play with seven seconds to go. 

LA Tenorio raced down the floor and was able to get into the shaded area only to be bothered by two UE defenders and Tenorio was forced to dish it out to Gec Chia who would drain what would become one of the greatest game-winning baskets in the history of the UAAP. 

Facing a La Salle team for the third straight year in the Finals, the Blue Eagles knew it won't be easy even though there's a saying that goes "Third time's a charm" After all, the wounds of their heartbreaking defeat in 2001 was still fresh in the minds of the blue and white team. And as expected, the Ateneo-La  Salle Finals slugfest of 2002 was indeed a classic as all three games were decided in the final seconds. Game One was won by Ateneo, 72-70 thanks to not one but two game-saving blocks from Larry Fornacier. La Salle, as expected took Game Two despite Fornacier going up for 25 points as it was Mike Cortez's 21 points kept La Salle's five-peat bid hopes alive. In the title-clinching Game Three, Ateneo may have led for most of the game but not without the Green Archers threatening to crawl back. In the end, Epok Quimpo's trey gave the Blue Eagles a nine-point lead in the final 1:46 of the game and great defense from Rich Alvarez and Wesley Gonzales sealed Ateneo's first championship since 1988. Gonzales and Fornacier went on to become co MVPs of the Finals while Villanueva won the UAAP MVP plum. 

What made the 2002 team special?

It's simple, they had the heart to win it all against a mighty La Salle squad who was seemed unbeatable for the first 13 games of the season. The fact that there was one point in the season where Ateneo was nowhere to be found in the Final Four picture and yet ended up winning it all, says something about how special this Ateneo team really was. They were the underdogs against UE in the Final Four. They were certainly the underdogs against La Salle in the Finals. And yet, who ended up hoisting the championship at the end of the season?

Photo is from the Facebook page of "The UAAP Classics"