UAAP S76 preview: Falcons and Tams look for return to Final Four, Eagles seek six-peat, Archers aim higher

The 76th season of the UAAP begins on Saturday, with teams reloading for another campaign in the collegiate wars. Part one of our two-part preview shines the spotlight on Adamson, FEU, Ateneo and La Salle.

[Part two with NU, UE, UP and UST can be read here]


Adamson University Soaring Falcons

Season 75 record: 3-11, sixth place

Key losses: Alex Nuyles (SG/SF), Eric Camson (PF), Allen Etrone (PG/SG)

Key additions: Ingrid Sewa (C), Maui Bernabe (PG), Axel Inigo (PG), Dawn Ochea (PF)

Season 75 moment: Alex Nuyles, King Falcon and slasher extraordinaire, played just four games in his final UAAP season due to a dislocated shoulder. Though Nuyles’ presence wouldn’t have guaranteed a Final Four appearance, they went 2-9 without him, as the talents of EJ Camson, Jericho Cruz and Rodney Brondial couldn’t lift them to better than sixth in the league.

Season 76 situation: Without Nuyles and Camson, this squad looks nearly unrecognizable from the team that peaked in Season 74, before losing its twice-to-beat advantage to third-seeded FEU. Every year, fans know that Adamson’s defense is capable of throwing opponents into a torture chamber, and that’s never going to be a question while Leo Austria remains head coach. But Nuyles and Camson were dependable scorers for this team and their loss should concern this year’s crop. Budding young gun Jericho Cruz, Brondial and Sewa, the African behemoth, will be relied on to carry the load for this team.

Beyond that trio, however, the Falcons are largely question marks. Roider Cabrera and Jansen Rios lead a troop of athletic but largely unproven wingmen. Furthermore, it’s not clear how effective a threat Ryan Monteclaro can be as the team’s lead point guard either. Adamson has to lean on their defense, though less so than in past years, to give themselves a shot to win every game.


Ateneo De Manila University Blue Eagles

Season 75 record: 12-2, first place

Key losses: Greg Slaughter (C), Nico Salva (PF), Justin Chua (C), Tonino Gonzaga (SG), Oping Sumalinog (SG)

Key additions: Chris Newsome (F), Earl Murphy (SF), Anton Asistio (PG), Vince Tolentino (PF)

Season 75 moment: The Blue Eagles swept the UST Growling Tigers in the Finals to win their fifth straight title, after splitting their elimination round meetings against that foe. That allowed coach Norman Black to leave the team triumphantly, to pilot the TNT Tropang Texters in the PBA.

Season 76 situation: Never mind losing their five-peat core. The Blue Eagles have publicly expressed their desire to win a sixth straight championship, though this climb may turn out to be the toughest one yet. New head coach Bo Perasol is tasked with guiding an up-tempo, small ball squad against a taller league.

The public hasn’t seen the final incarnation of this year’s Eagles yet though, owing to injuries to JP Erram, Giboy Babilonia and Gwynne Capacio during the preseason. Season 73 Finals MVP Ryan Buenafe is also expected to see time at power forward, but the jury’s out on whether he can have the same impact he did from the wing. He will share that burden with Frank Golla, a decent center on offense and defense, as they literally face their biggest challenges this year.

It’ll be interesting to see how the newcomers, bannered by Vince Tolentino, Anton Asistio and Earl Murphy integrate themselves into the mix. Though they may not stand out individually, it’s clear from their FilOil run that they’ve bought into Ateneo’s “team first” concept. With two-thirds of last year’s scorers gone in Slaughter and Salva, Juami Tiongson is expected to take on a larger share of points. If the summer leagues are any indication of performance, third-year sniper Von Pessumal is poised to rain triples from beyond the arc at frightening accuracy. But more than ever, the Eagles will soar only as high as the gifts of Kiefer Ravena, the undisputed King Eagle of this roost, can take them.


De La Salle Green Archers

Season 75 record: 9-5, fourth place

Key losses: Jed Manguerra (SG), Joshua Webb (SF), Jovet Mendoza (PF), Yutien Andrada (PF)

Key additions: Jason Perkins (F), Kib Montalbo (PG), Robert Bolick (PG), Matt Salem (PF)

Season 75 moment: Jeron Teng let the league know he is a force to be reckoned with when he matched two-time MVP Ray Ray Parks in a 35-point performance for the record books, delivering the W for the Archers in double-overtime during the first elimination round.

Season 76 situation: The Archers were thought to be Finals favorites before spiraling into uncertainty after the FilOil Cup. La Salle lost three of their last four games and were eliminated during the quarterfinals, prompting management to promote Juno Sauler to head coach in the place of Gee Abanilla. How the Archers will respond to higher expectations and a new voice in the locker room this year will be an adjustment worth watching.

La Salle isn't lacking for talent. Despite losing veteran Yutien Andrada to an ACL injury during the summer, the rest of its core, featuring Jeron Teng, LA Revilla, Almond Vosotros, Norbert Torres and Thomas Torres is still around. Perkins is an intriguing all-around big man, and Gabby Reyes is their answer to Ateneo’s Pessumal. Robert Bolick and Kib Montalbo also appear to be two sides of the same coin: the former more inclined on defense while the latter on offense. They have a lot of interesting pieces, and it's up to Sauler now to make sense of them in a limited amount of time.


Far Eastern University Tamaraws

Season 75 record: 9-5, fifth place

Key losses: Arvie Bringas (C), Mark Bringas (PF), Russel Escoto (PF)

Key additions: Joshua Aguilon (SG), Jeson Delfinado (SF), Jovannie Luz (PG), Joel Lee Yu (SG), Ron Dennison (SG)

Season 75 moment: During their second-round elimination game versus National University, league officials negated a game-winning lay-up by RR Garcia and then called for a do-over of the entire match. The Bulldogs went on to win the replay, effectively snagging the fourth seed and leaving the Tamaraws out of the Final Four.

Season 76 situation: The Tams have been difficult to read during the preseason, but suffice to say, this is the weakest incarnation of the Tamaraws since their post-Arwind Santos rebuilding season. More concerning is that their new additions look less like backcourt rotation pieces (that’s set with RR Garcia, Terrence Romeo and Mike Tolomia) and more like a year-long tryout for the King Tamaraw Garcia's spot when he graduates after this season.

The Tamaraws are practically a doughnut team now, too. It’s up to Bryan Cruz and Anthony Hargrove to hold down the paint, and neither of them are known for any defensive skill. If Christian Sentcheu can avoid foul trouble, he could also be valuable on defense during short intervals, but that’s about it. Otherwise, it’s the same perimeter-oriented attack with Mac Belo and Roger Pogoy hustling for points and doing the little things that matter. Any team with either Romeo or Garcia makes it exciting. Whether it’s enough to win games in a more competitive league like this, it’s hard to say. - AMD, GMA News