Yesterday, October 2, was one Monday that I would not soon forget. It seemed like the two endeavors that I’ve “invested” myself in these past few months were hinged on this date. There were two scores to settle this particular day, and I had hoped for a double celebration in the end. But it was not meant to happen that way. You can't win them all.:)
Small Victory
I had been expecting the results of my assessment day (the final stage of my application) with the Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) Bahaginan Programme since last week. However, perhaps because of the typhoon Milenyo, the giving of feedback was extended to Monday, October 2. And indeed, after the long wait, I finally received the glad news yesterday—and during the halftime of Game 3 of the Ateneo-UST Finals series at that! I was accepted into VSO! Woohoo! I don’t know yet where I will be sent to and when. But just having this assurance that I’m in is a huge load off my chest. I know, however, that this is only the beginning. The real challenge is yet to come!
Here’s the funny thing though. I always imagined myself to be on Cloud 9 the day I’d get accepted into VSO. And now that that day has come, I am more relieved than ecstatic…more thankful than celebratory. Somehow, I just couldn’t find it in myself to be all hyped up over it because of this…
Big Loss
Like many Ateneans, I had hoped that this was going to be the season of the Blue Eagles. We had a great team this year, although perhaps not in the mold in the 2002 Ateneo championship squad that had “superstar” players in its roster. Rather, this team had a lot of role players who worked well together. They were led by three captains (also called “The Three Kings” by Ateneo hardcore fans) who struggled throughout the years playing behind more celebrated teammates, but who stepped up big time this year. Through sheer hard work and determination, they moved from being the third or fourth-seeded team by basketball prognosticators during the pre-season, to being the No.1-seeded team by the end of the UAAP eliminations. Hence, when they barged into the finals, beating a tough Adamson squad (and yeah, those whistle-blowing zebras too) in a grueling Final 4 contest, we all thought the Blue Eagles would go all the way and win it all this year.
But alas, the UST Growling Tigers had other things in mind. In another cliffhanger of a Game 3 in the UAAP Season 69 Finals, the proverbial ball bounced UST’s way and beat the Blue Eagles, 76-74 at overtime.
And just like that, Ateneo’s championship dreams—for this season, at least—are over.
Ironically, however, I did not take our loss yesterday with a heavy heart. In the dying minutes of the game, when the score was tied at 74-all, I sort of said to myself that whatever happens, I am proud of this team for showing heart and fighting the good fight. Hence, when the buzzer in overtime sounded—and the UST crowd exploded in jubilation—I sort of had a sense of calm wash over me. Even if we lost, I felt that those 10 hours I spent lining up for Game 3 tickets, and the countless hours of waiting for the actual game to transpire, was not for naught. I was sad, of course. Sad that we lost the ultimate prize by a hair. Sad because I might not be here next season to witness the team make another bid for the championship. But, somehow, it was not such a painful loss for me—it was a kind of defeat that was not too hard to swallow.
I know that, among Ateneans, I’m in the minority for feeling this way. And I am not entirely sure why I do.
Maybe it was because the team played with big fighting hearts that day. They fell short in the dying seconds—but not for lack of trying.
Or maybe it was because of the fact that I was able to find consolation in being in the midst of the Ateneo faithful, who stuck together all season and showed their support for the team through the wins, but most importantly, through the losses.
Or maybe it was because we lost to a truly worthy opponent such as UST. Their Game 3 win was, one has to admit, a fitting climax to their Cinderella season—ironically and eerily similar to that of the 2002 Ateneo champion squad. They, too, showed heart and intensity when in mattered, and for that, they deserve to be champions.
Or maybe I’m just plain weird. (This may be the more likely reason. Haha.)
If anything though, I just really felt sorry for our boys, especially the “Three Kings”—Doug, Macky, and JC. Doug had that great one second miracle shot that earned him a spot in Ateneo basketball lore—but I’m sure he would’ve traded all the accolades he got from making that shot for an actual championship. Macky played the game of his life (I still couldn’t get over it until now!)—too bad it was on a losing effort. Then, of course, there’s JC, who was our best all-around and most consistent player all season long. You could see that he really, really tried to bail us out, like he did many times before—but (most of) his shots were really just not falling in.
As one poster in Gameface.ph wrote:
“The difference rooting for this year's team with the 2002 team was that you knew Rico, Wesley, Larry and LA were supremely talented and were sure shot pros, as if anything less than a championship was an underachievement.
“This year's team led by JC, Macky and Doug was more of a working man's team. To be sure, the 3 Kings were flawed basketball wise, but they showed that heart and togetherness are more powerful than talent alone. It was easier to empathize with them, and… the grief from the loss comes more from how much we all wanted the seniors to be rewarded with a championship (Vickster, Blue Eagles’ Nest).”
~*~*~*~*~
After the game, the Blue and White faithful braved the sudden downpour (and accompanying floods in the Cubao to Katipunan areas) and trooped to the Church of Gesu for a Thanksgiving Mass. We might have lost the championship but it was still, in many ways, a season of grace for our Men’s Basketball Team.
Before the mass ended, the graduating captains, along with Coach Norman Black and Mr. Manny Pangilinan (a.k.a. MVP), were given a chance to speak in front of the Ateneo community. With their emotional—and at times, humorous—speeches, they shared themselves with the crowd in a way that none of the members of the past Blue Eagle squads ever did (and in a way in which they probably never would have shared themselves had they become champions).
What’s so heartening about members of this team wearing their hearts on their sleeves and opening up to the crowd in Gesu is that it makes one feel the relationship they have with the Ateneo community and the school. Yes, there was disappointment in their words and gestures. But one could also sense their growth as persons, as well as their genuine love and affection for each other. And that, in more ways than one, brought a sense of healing to the Blue and White faithful present that night. It strengthened our hope that they—both individually and as a team—will bounce back and come out stronger than ever.
In his homily, Fr. Ben Nebres said that this team is truly a “band of brothers” whose deep friendship went beyond basketball, and which will go beyond the years they would have spent studying in (not just playing for) Ateneo. In a very real sense, that is what the Ateneo community should be—and is—all about.
I, of course, have heard of countless stories saying that this bunch is really special because they have good work ethics, they’re real student athletes, they’re truly a team with no “superstars”, etc. And of course, I’ve been proud of them all season long. But after all the things I’ve seen and heard last night, I’m even prouder of this team, and of the Ateneo community as well.
I’m glad I attended that Mass. Because of it, my last memory of Season 69 is not of a lost game, a lost championship. Rather, it is of a community gathered together in prayer, in joy and in tears (literally), in friendship and camaraderie--still believing and looking forward to brighter things ahead.
Labels: In the Zone, Light and Shade
