UAAP Layup Lines - Season 76 week seven

UAAP Layup Lines is a regular compilation of thoughts, musings and ponderings on the previous week's UAAP games. In this week's edition, we look at UAAP sanctions, Ryan Buenafe, Jeron Teng, Mac Belo and the UP Pep Squad.


The line-up:

• Hand-washing: A prediction for UE and Ateneo's rule "clarifications"
• The strange UAAP journey of Ryan Buenafe
• Silent but deadly, Mac Belo has been FEU's glue-guy
• Jeron Teng and what it means to be 'clutch'
• From halftime to the main event, UP Pep looks to steal the show (again)

Hand-washing: A prediction for UE and Ateneo's rule "clarifications"
by Job De Leon, writer, GMA News Online Sports

If the UAAP board forfeits all won games where suspended players were present, the standings would look like this:

NU	9-4
ADMU	8-4
FEU	8-5
DLSU	8-5
UST	7-5
UE	6-6
ADU	4-9
UP	0-12

Here, UE is back in the Final Four race (albeit barely), while DLSU and FEU’s playoff berths are no longer guaranteed. But changes in the standings aside, I’m betting good money the UAAP won’t order those games to be forfeited. Why? The rules in question read like this:

1. A suspended athlete shall not be allowed to sit in the bench and its immediate vicinity during the period of suspension. A violation of the condition of the suspension shall result in the forfeiture of the game where such suspended athlete was found present.

2. The presence of a suspended coach, manager, assistant manager, statistician, scorers, masseurs, etc. and those listed as members of the team shall not be allowed in the bench or venue during the period of suspension. A violation of the condition of the suspension shall result in the forfeiture of the game where such suspended team official or member was found present.

Theoretically, a suspended coach or masseur (have we ever had a suspended masseur?) can’t help a team whether he's a dozen rows behind them or on vacation at the beach. A suspended player watching TV from his living room doesn't impact his team any more than he does from the bench's vicinity. The common denominator in both instances is a suspension means they’re barred from participating from the events in the game in any form. We can safely determine that’s the spirit of the rule. (Gee, why didn't they just merge the rules like this in the first place?)

This then means that the indicated distances from the playing floor accorded for suspensions are merely symbolic, an artificial thing secondary to the individual's absence itself. So we can also safely say that the different distances from the team bench for athletes and non-athlete team members, as I previously explained, is a distinction not grounded in anything real.

I’m not defending Ateneo head coach Bo Perasol here. Evidence shows he was somewhere he wasn’t supposed to be, and a forfeit is the commensurate punishment under league rules. But in the same vein, upholding the letter of the law also means handing FEU a loss, even if RR Garcia served his suspension clapping from behind the bench.

A friend posited that handing warnings all around and no forfeitures would be most convenient and consistent thing to do. Why? It saves the UAAP from defending the ridiculous distinctions made between athletes and non-athlete team members, while preventing the ensuing chaos from a jarring change in the standings.

That’s fine for everybody, especially the UAAP board, which always finds the convenient solution to every problem. Like banning JJ Atayde, whose only crime was to be the heckler that Perasol engaged from among thousands. Or imposing a two-year residency rule because of Jerie Pingoy, whose only crime was to get on FEU’s bad side. I bet there won’t be any amendments to the suspension rules too. The UAAP has a tendency to avoid the rough patches on the road than actually fixing them.

Ironically, both the UE and Ateneo representatives ended their petitions to the board with this statement: "We thank you for this opportunity to be heard and are hopeful for an outcome that would ultimately be favorable to the UAAP and its ideals."

With all the compromises going around though, it’s hard to say what “favorable” means and what those “ideals” are.


The strange UAAP journey of Ryan Buenafe
by Chuck Araneta, From the Stands, contributor to GMA News Online Sports

It’s difficult to miss Ateneo forward Ryan Buenafe when he takes the floor for the Blue Eagles. And no, it’s not because of the reasons that are most likely in your head right now.

Starting from the moment that the barker introduces the Blue Eagles, Buenafe has a different demeanor on the floor. While teammates like Kiefer Ravena, Chris Newsome and Juami Tiongson hype themselves up by displaying kinetic and frenetic energy running on the floor, Buenafe does the exact opposite. It’s a half-jog/half-gait accompanied by a perpetual scowl that he has perfected in five playing years in the UAAP. It’s the perfect yang to the wholesome and preppy yin that his teammates epitomize. It’s also a perfect microcosm of what Buenafe has meant to the Ateneo de Manila Blue Eagles.
 
Let’s take a time machine back to three years ago, right around the time that Buenafe sunk the FEU Tamaraws and was named Finals MVP of Season 73. Hopes were high that as he popped his blue and white jersey for the crowd, he would continue to carry the load for Ateneo.

Then he just disappeared. That he skipped the next UAAP season with so many questions unanswered was a shock that sent the campus in Katipunan searching for reasons.

The Ryan Buenafe that surfaced in Season 75 a year later was a totally different basketball player. The quiet confidence in his abilities was there, and never left him. But you could sense a kid still trying to find his bearings with so much change happening without his presence. A new top dog in Kiefer Ravena replaced mainstays like Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Chris Tiu. And once again, Buenafe would have to find his niche on the team yet again.

And so he did what he does best, he adjusted, just like one of his impossibly aerial assaults on the rim. He reinvented himself as a heady facilitator, excellent help defender and the only post scorer of Ateneo this season. When Ravena was down with an ankle injury, he helped keep Ateneo afloat, upping his averages in points, rebounds and three-point percentages.

Some people might say that Buenafe has taken a step back, in his fifth year in the UAAP. The San Sebastian Staglet was expected to be a game-changer, and a perennial contender for MVP in the college-level. But perhaps one thing that people forgot to take stock of is that Buenafe has always done things differently. He’s willing to defer and orchestrate for talented young guns like Newsome and Ravena because they are match-up nightmares for opponents. He wears a scowl on his face for four quarters, as a reminder that the Eagles are more than just the glamor kids of the UAAP. And, as the UE Red Warriors saw last Sunday afternoon, he is more than willing to rip your heart out with a crossover step-back three-pointer, percentages be damned.

All in a day’s work for Ryan Buenafe. Ateneo’s five-year enigma, wrapped inside a proven winner.


Silent but deadly, Mac Belo has been FEU's glue-guy
by Aaron Valdez, contributor to GMA News Online Sports

It was only the Tams’ second win of the second round last Saturday, but the team seems to have regained its first round swagger, following a 32-point explosion by spitfire Terrence Romeo that sent the Adamson Soaring Falcons home empty-handed.  

The Falcons failed to gain any considerable momentum after leading by two points in the first quarter, despite 25 markers from Most Improve Player candidate Don Trollano. However, it was neither Romeo nor Garcia who made the crucial baskets, but the lanky, 6’3” kid from Midsayap, Cotabato named Mac Belo.

Just to refresh everyone else’s memory: Adamson went on a 13 to nothing run in the first quarter, until Belo finally came up with an answer to level the game at 21-all. Trollano extended Adamson’s lead to four at the start of the second quarter, which was cut to a single point after Belo hit a triple. The Falcons regained the lead after five straight points from Rios and Trollano, but a put-back by Belo gave the lead back to the Morayta-based squad.
    
And who could forget that rim-rocker by Sewa by the start of the third quarter? Almost everyone else did, after Belo silenced the Adamson crowd with a well-timed triple from 25-feet. At that point, Adamson never inched closer than eight points, and the Tams went home with their ninth win of the season. Belo finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, and his +/- stats aptly reflected his impact on the team, with his +21 point being second-best to only Gryann Mendoza’s +27.
    
FEU currently enjoys the benefits of having three seasoned backcourt combo guards in RR Garcia, Terrence Romeo, and Mike Tolomia, and lot can be said about FEU’s front court benefiting from all the attention given to the MRT Express, but Belo has been holding his own in just his second year of play. Last season, Belo made a living scrapping for loose balls, converting second-chance opportunities, and 15-foot jumpers, but his game has improved by leaps and bounds this year, putting up averages of 9.5 points, and 7.5 rebounds, while extending his range all the way to three-point land. With Anthony Hargrove suspended, Belo saw his chance and took it.
    
Perhaps what’s best about Belo is his perpetual motor and the stone-cold expressions. This is the guy on your team who chases the offense on fast break possessions to contest and block layup tries. This is also the same guy who gets the offensive rebound when your shot clanks off the iron, puts it back, and goes back up court on defense.
    
Despite the timeliness of his baskets, Belo never makes any gestures or unnecessary celebrations after making an important shot. He doesn't have finger pistols, or make slashes across his throat; instead he just gets back on defense, scanning the other team’s next play.
    
People will always love the Kiefer Ravenas and the Terrence Romeos of the UAAP, stars who regularly carry their teams on their backs under the watchful eyes of the whole league. As in the NBA, there are guys like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, the flamboyant marquee players who sell jerseys and get Nike deals. Buth then there are guys like Tayshaun Prince, Thabo Sefolosha, and Shane Battier, who despite the lack of production, flair and showmanship, have commanded respect because of their work ethic, humility, and silent impact. Mac Belo has so far been that glue guy for the Tams, and it would be unfair to withhold from him the credit he deserves. Knowing him, however, I’m sure he’s just looking forward to playing the next game.


Jeron Teng and what it means to be 'clutch'
by Adrian Dy, senior sports desk editor, GMA News Online Sports

Once upon a time Jeron Teng was not clutch. Then he became clutch. And now, with the possibility of getting one of the two twice-to-beat advantages, he'll get another opportunity to prove his clutch-ness when he goes up against his older brother Jeric, on Saturday.

What exactly is clutch? Is it a difficult-to-flip switch that sometimes gets stuck in neutral? Is it like someone's shot; sometimes there, sometimes not? Is it a skill that can be measured, learned and improved upon? Can it be taught or coached?  

At the start of the season, Jeron Teng was "unclutch." He had predictable moves going to the basket, an inability to hit long-range attempts, and the look on his face when he was at the foul line told you he couldn't hit free throws.

However, he's since changed the script on all of those criticisms. Versus Ateneo in round two, he sank the game-winner off one of his supposedly easy-to-read drives, despite Chris Newsome, the Blue Eagles' best one-on-one defender draped all over him. Then against NU last weekend, he was a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line and made the go-ahead score with 46 seconds left on the clock.

So Jeron Teng is clutch now right?

Maybe. I don't know. Perhaps until the next fourth quarter?

It's sometimes easy to forget that these kids are not professional basketball players (yet). It's easy to forget that they are in fact, kids, and one can't expect a kid to be 100 percent fearless in a high-pressure situation. And while there are in fact kids with ice water in their veins, should we begrudge them if they don't?

When Jeron Teng was recruited by La Salle last season, he was immediately hailed as the program's savior, especially after missing out on the Final Four the previous year. Despite his shortcomings, he did in fact help tow his side to the Final Four. And now, with an even better supporting cast, and, well, a late-dose of clutchness, the Green Archers are poised to go back to the UAAP postseason, this time, most likely, with a twice-to-beat advantage.

For some, Teng's last two games are enough proof that he is in fact, clutch. For others, they're still waiting to see how far the Archers will go, and whether or not Teng is able to elevate his performance when the stakes are high.

Once upon a time Jeron Teng was not clutch. Now he's clutch. Maybe he'll stop being clutch. Maybe he won't. Maybe, just maybe, he's only in his sophomore college season, and still has lot of basketball to play, with his clutch-ness, whatever that is, still to be determined.


From halftime to the main event, UP Pep looks to steal the show (again)
by Roehl Niño Bautista, GMA News Online

30 minutes before midnight, Tuesday, UP professor Eloi Hernandez captured a handful of students already forming a line for UAAP Cheer Dance Competition tickets at the College of Human Kinetics. Tickets won't actually be sold until 3pm the next day.

If that's not love, I don't know what it is.

Should there be no prerequisites, such as dancing mobile phones due to the sponsor, and if they do not go overboard with the props like in 2009, the UP Pep Squad SHOULD win the UAAP Cheerdance Competition.

I'm throwing objectivity away for this piece. This is the voice of a UP alumnus who has watched the UP Pep Squad live since they went back-to-back in 2008, when they slipped to third in 2009, and when they went on a three-peat run since then. This is from the UP Pep Squad follower who watched UP lose to UST numerous times on TV back in high school.

This is just one of the many prayers for the Pep Squad ng Bayan to keep the crown in Diliman.

The UAAP CDC usually happens late in the men's basketball tournament's second elimination round. has finished its playoffs (ideally). UP does not only desensitize its students to long lines, it also strengthens them (again, ideally) through defeats.

The UP Fighting Maroons so far have been a perfect 12-of-12 from the heartbreak arc. A UAAP CDC win is the much-needed Phoenix Down to call back the shattered school spirit from the grave. Worst case scenario is UP still finishes on the podium.

But we all want nine titles in 15 years, for a 9-of-15 clip.

Then we can still cheer for UP to beat UE in basketball next week.