Tamaraws, Blue Eagles start UAAP finals battle

The last time Norman Black and Glenn Capacio met in the finals, the two-time Philippine Basketball Association Best Import and Hall of Famer was coaching San Miguel Beer while the many-time All-Defensive Team member was making life difficult for the Beermen’s top guns Allan Caidic, Samboy Lim and Ato Agustin during the 1994 All-Filipino Conference. Capacio’s team then, Purefoods, was also disputing the right to represent the country in the Hiroshima Asian Games in 1994. Black’s San Miguel squad prevailed, but the multi-titled mentor was impressed with Capacio’s brand of play. Three years later, they were together in one team, with the Mobiline Phone Pals. Time has flown so fast. Black and Capacio now find themselves going head-to-head once more in a championship series, this time in the UAAP men’s basketball tournament best-of-three title series that unfurls Saturday at the Araneta Coliseum. Black’s grandslam-seeking Ateneo Eagles and Capacio’s hungry Far Eastern University Tamaraws take center stage starting at 4 p.m. The two squads are coming off contrasting wins over separate opponents in last week's Final Four hostilities. FEU overcame a nine-point deficit in the third quarter to beat La Salle, 69-59, in a grueling overtime encounter, while Ateneo blasted Adamson, 68-55, in the other semis pairing. Although the Tamaraws beat the Eagles in their two elimination round meetings, Capacio expects a tough battle in the finals. "It's not going to be easy winning the championship against Ateneo," said Capacio, who is seeking his first-ever title as a coach. "We expect them to come out prepared against us. We beat them twice, but we got both games because of the much-needed breaks." FEU nipped Ateneo, 72-69, on July 11, then scored a repeat win, a 74-72 triumph last September 11, with the Tamaraws coming back from six points down in the last three minutes to outlast their rivals. Capacio hopes to equal the Eagles' defensive intensity in this series. "Coach Norman’s system emphasizes discipline, and he really wants to see his team put a tough defensive effort every game," said Capacio. "We're hoping to equal that or double the effort Ateneo will exert in the series." Black believes the series will be a tough one against FEU, which is gunning for its first title since 2005. The Tamaraws have talented players in their roster, including the league's Most Valuable Player RR Garcia, Rookie of the Year Terrence Romeo, RP-Smart Gilas standouts Aldrech Ramos and JR Cawaling, Reil Cervantes, Pipo Noundou and Anthony Bringas. "They're a very balanced team. Unlike the other teams we play in the UAAP, we concentrate on either the guards or the big guys and try to shut them down," said Black. "But in the case of FEU, you have to concentrate on everybody because they're well-balanced as far as offense is concerned, so it's going to be a difficult task for us," he added. The Eagles will lean on Eric Salamat, Kirk Long, Ryan Buenafe, Nico Salva and Eman Monfort, but will be a man down as frontliner Jason Escueta will serve a one-game suspension for committing his second unsportsmanlike foul of the season last Sunday. FEU and Ateneo will meet in the finals for the first time since 2003. The last time these two teams collided for the crown, the Koy Banal-mentored Tamaraws swept the Eagles then handled by his older brother Joel. The Morayta-based squad tries to win a record 20th overall crown while the cagers from Loyola aim for their sixth league title since joining the UAAP in 1978. - KY/RCJ, GMANews.TV