Blue Eagles moving forward

After everything Ateneo de Manila University has endured over the past two months, stepping onto the basketball court together has become more than preparation for the coming season.

For the Blue Eagles, it has become part of the healing.

“Our healing process is to play,” Ateneo head coach Louie Alas told reporters after his side pulled off an 81-78 victory over College of St. Benilde in the PinoyLiga Cup The Big Dance at the Blue Eagle Gym on Sunday.

The game was only Ateneo’s second since the tragic deaths of student-athletes Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili during a team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora, on 8 June.

With the pain still fresh, Alas said the Blue Eagles have chosen to let basketball provide an outlet rather than dwell on what they have lost.

The players were allowed to savor the moment and, perhaps more importantly, simply be together.

“We are focusing more on our prayers for healing. As I told you last game, we praise God for the chance to play. Now, we praise (the players) and God for that,” Alas said.

For a team still coming to terms with a devastating loss, every possession, defensive stop and moment spent together carries a deeper meaning.

That was evident in the closing minutes against the Blazers.

Ateneo leaned on its character to survive a tense finish, with the players responding to the pressure with the same perseverance they have been developing away from the court.

“Ian (Espinosa) is talking to them about the last two possessions. Those are our biggest defensive stops,” Alas said.

“And, I don’t know if I heard it right, but Ian said, ‘Guys, this is the best time to show your Indian run.’”

“Ian told the guys, ‘This is it. This is the Indian runs in practice.’”

For team manager Nico Salva, the resilience displayed in those final possessions was a reflection of what the players have shown since tragedy struck.

“I guess their character is that they’re very persevering,” Salva said.

That perseverance, he added, has become one of the team's defining traits.

“Their perseverance that they do each and every day reflected in the endgame today,” Salva said.

More than the result, however, Salva saw something bigger in the way the Blue Eagles continued to fight for one another.

“I’ve never seen a team this bonded,” he said. “They are really close, and I think that’s going to continue to grow throughout the season.”

“I guess their character is that they’re very persevering,” Salva said.