The Ateneo High School Basketball Program: New Breeding Ground for Future King Eagles

While the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) is looking like they're in the midst of another Ateneo Blue Eagles dynasty after the university has won three of the last four championships, and they are still one of the favorites to win the championship in Season 83, one has to keep in mind: all of those successful players who don the blue and white jersey in the seniors' division have to start somewhere else and in most cases, they weren't as good as they are right now than how they started.

SJ Belangel, Jason Credo, BJ Andrade, Troy Mallilin and even Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena started finding their groove in the juniors' division and yes, even back then,  most of them have the markings of what it takes to be a true Blue Eagle. 

While the Blue Eagles have been ruling in the seniors' division with Tab Baldwin calling the shots in the last four seasons, the Ateneo Blue Eaglets have been ruling the juniors' division during the early goings of the previous decade- having last won the championship in 2018 when they defeated the Bullpups of the Nazareth School of National University. Incidentally, the Blue Eaglets also beat the Bullpups in 2015 in a Finals slugfest that went the distance. The 2018 champion squad had Kai Sotto, Belangel, Credo, and Dave Ildefonso. And yes, that team also had Geo Chiu- a promising big man whom most pundits are hailing as the heir apparent to Isaac Go. 

Now, Kai Sotto is making noise in the United States as he is currently taking a path that will hopefully lead him to get drafted in the NBA Draft. Belangel and Credo are expected to take bigger roles in Season 83 and yes, Dave Ildefonso will be wearing the blue and white jersey for Season 84 alongside Andrade who by then, should be fully recovered from an injury he sustained last month. 

While not every Blue Eaglet had a successful career after they've finished in the juniors' division, that doesn't take away the fact that they've produced some of the best basketball stars of today. 

Remember Coach Jamike Jarin?

He was the head coach of the Blue Eaglets who coached the team for 13 years, steering them to 12 Finals appearances while winning 8 championships along the way. 

Jarin was the one who foretold the UAAP about the greatness that he saw in then 13-year old Kiefer Ravena. He even wanted to include Kiefer in the roster even though the latter was only a freshman back then. Fast-forward to 2020 and where is Kiefer Ravena now?

He has five UAAP championships- two from the seniors' division and a three-peat during his decorated stint with the Blue Eaglets. Along with those championships, he won two Finals MVP awards in high school, two MVPs and two Finals MVPs in college- both under Norman Black. In the professional ranks, the Phenom is looking to stamp his status as one of the best players of his generation as he's looking to lead the NLEX Road Warriors to higher heights while also serving the team captain of Gilas Pilipinas. In other words,  Jamike Jarin saw something in Kiefer Ravena and he was right. This proved that the Blue Eaglets program is the grooming ground of future King Eagles and championship-winners. 

While the UAAP juniors' division has been dominated by the Bullpups as of late, it doesn't mean that the Blue Eaglets will stop producing winners. After all, they produced what could be the first Filipino player to get to the same level as of that of Raymond Townsend. And who knows what Forthsky Padrigao can achieve once he starts playing for the Blue Eagles and beyond?

You know what they say? The sky is the limit and that, the same thing can be said for the Ateneo high school basketball program and yes, even international scouts have been keeping an eye on this program because they know that this program can produce some of the Philippines' brightest hoops stars. 

Photo is from Inquirer Sports