UAAP: For Ateneo's coach Perasol, defense, offense, and a challenge

Scant minutes after the La Salle Green Archers snapped Ateneo's five-game winning streak with a 66-64 win, Blue Eagles head coach Bo Perasol, who had committed a technical foul resulting in two made free throws, broke one of the cardinal rules in sports: "Thou shalt not go after a fan."

[Related: Teng saves the day as La Salle Green Archers shoot down Ateneo Blue Eagles anew]

As the former PBA coach was bound for the dugout, several La Salle fans began heckling him, causing him to charge, although thankfully, bouncers and a metal barrier prevented anything from happening.   

[Related: 'I can't take that sitting down' says Ateneo coach Perasol about incident with hecklers]

In an interview with GMA News Online's Carlo Pamintuan afterwards, Perasol said, "Him [one of the hecklers] going there and shouting insults at me and my team? I can't take that sitting down. Mabuti na lang may bakal. Kung matapang siya, sana pumasok siya doon."

Bo stands up

For some, Coach Perasol's in-game technical foul and post-game actions depict a coach fighting for his players and his team. If ever you doubted his loyalty to Ateneo, that doubt should have ended then and there.

What Perasol did was akin to UST coach Pido Jarencio physically carrying injured Growling Tigers back to the bench. A graduate of the University of the Philippines, Perasol had no real affiliation with Ateneo prior to getting the job. However, what he did, coupled with the revelation that Perasol went right back to the Ateneo bench after surgery to remove kidney stones, showed he bled blue and white.

More than a sentiment felt by the fans, it's something the players clearly feel, as evidenced by some of their tweets and interviews. They like Coach Perasol, they like playing for him, and ready to win for him.

It was always going to be difficult filling in the shoes left by five-peat coach Norman Black. So far though, Perasol has juggled injuries, a roster bereft of traditional back-to-the-basket big men, and a 0-3 start to pilot his squad to a top-four spot.

With three games left on their plate, Ateneo's destiny is in their hands, and a Final Four berth is definitely not out of the question. No doubt, after demonstrating that he's willing to fight for his players, the Blue Eagles will be raring to reward their coach's faith in them.  

Bo falls down

However, not everyone agrees that Perasol's actions paint him in a positive light.

It's not uncommon for a coach to mount a vehement protest if he feels his side is not getting a fair shake in the refereeing department (see: Guiao, Yeng), but most of these violent reactions don't take place with a minute to go and your team within two points.

Furthermore, as mentioned above, a player or coach simply cannot charge into the stands and look for a fight, no matter what sort of heckling is going on. While nothing physical took place, it would not surprise people if the UAAP levied some sort of sanction on Coach Perasol.

Making things worse for some is the fact that Perasol is coaching a collegiate team, with impressionable young athletes. If they take their cue from the man leading them, then don't Coach Perasol's actions give them the green light to whine and gripe when they don't get calls to come their way? Should they also charge the stands if they happen to hear someone making fun of their play or their school?

Coaching Ateneo is an extremely stressful job, on par with some of the toughest pro gigs like the NBA's LA Lakers, baseball's Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees, and locally, the Petron Blaze Boosters and fan-favorites Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.

And oh yes, helming their rivals La Salle is no laughing matter either.

But if you're head coach of one of those teams, you have to handle an intense amount of pressure and high expectations from the fans, opposing fans painting your squad as an evil empire, and intense scrutiny from supporters and detractors alike. And for some, the fact that Perasol was not able to handle that is a big minus in their book.

Did Bo know?

One can have a lively debate over which league has worse officiating, the PBA or the UAAP, but the simple fact is you will not win if your team assumes that they'll get the benefit of the whistles. Pessimism and 'three blind mice' references aside, referees are human and they're going to miss calls, and sometimes, those blown calls will result in lost games.

Furthermore, Perasol was already pushing it. Earlier in the first half, he had already gotten referees to reverse two calls in his favor. Running onto the court was never going to help things.

That said, it's not completely fair to blame the technical foul on Perasol as sinking Ateneo's chance at a win. A single minute is not a lot of time to work with, but the Blue Eagles managed to keep their heads above water, thanks to a big-time triple by Ryan Buenafe.

After Buenafe's triple, Jeron Teng managed just a split at the line, to make it a two-point game, 64-62 with 19 seconds left. Perasol burned his team's final timeout, and here is where a world of possibilities opens up.

Ravena burned about five seconds before knotting the game via a two-pointer, 64-all. That gave La Salle another possession, but ADMU could have also killed clock before the game-tying attempt, or they could have tried a three-pointer to win the game outright.

Following the score, La Salle called timeout, and head coach Juno Sauler drew up an isolation play for marquee player Jeron Teng, who had previously been playing miserable. Foul trouble kept him glued to the bench through the third quarter and a good part of the fourth. He was also just 2-of-4 from the foul line in that period, 4-of-9 overall.

Ateneo could have opted to foul him immediately; after all, he could have missed both free throws. If he hit one or both, things still don't change much. The Blue Eagles would have gotten the ball back with a chance to win or force overtime, going out with guns blazing, sort of.

Bo and Ateneo's path to the Final Four

Ateneo has three games remaining on their plate: the UE Red Warriors (who will be without suspended guard Ralf Olivares) the new league-leaders NU Bulldogs, and then they'll end the elimination round with a Season 75 Finals rematch versus the UST Growling Tigers.

All of those games expect to be difficult. UE, even without Olivares, can still bring a lot of firepower to bear. Charles Mammie will have served out his suspension by then, and he and point guard Roi Sumang are match-up nightmares for the Eagles. NU is looking to enter the Final Four with a twice-to-beat advantage, while UST could have Jeric Teng back in the fold by then as well.

To make matters worse, UE and UST are fighting for their postseason lives, so in no way is Ateneo guaranteed a shot at defending their crown.

In the end, all of this will be brought up again should the Eagles fail to make the Final Four. On the flipside though, all of this will be a footnote if anything, should the Eagles do the improbable and win a sixth title. Heck, most likely, a Final Four berth will be enough to make people forget. But when Coach Perasol stood up to defend his team, he simultaneously challenged them to play better.

It'll be up to them to reward his faith. - GMA News