Title traditions trumpet today’s Tamaraws-Tigers tussles

 

MANILA–A tradition in Philippine collegiate hoops that’s buried deep in near-forgetfulness rises up from the grave today.

That tradition is a rivalry –Far Eastern University and the University of Santo Tomas– that became the UAAP’s trademark during the then four-school league’s early years beginning 1938.

Other teams, however, took that early collegiate hoops fame from these University Belt stalwarts. University of the East is one of them, starting the mid-1950s. Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University are the others, teams under the Final Four era that made the UAAP a marketing haven –to their schools’ and a TV network’s benefit– since the 1990s.

Sure, in an expanded UAAP, FEU had won its titles between 1978 and last year: two sets of three-peats (1979-1981 and 2003-2005), even a back-to-back (1991-1992). UST, on the other hand, also had its glory over the same period: a four-peat (1993 to 1996, those being the first championships since 1967) and a surprising championship in 2006.

But except for the 1979 final between Morayta and España, those other titles were won in championship series that’re not against each other. There were teams in-between.

This time it’s just them, the Tamaraws and the Tigers. The UAAP is now entering a young era beyond Eagles and Archers. Basketball teams largely financed by students’ tuition fees now hog the spotlight. In the age of social media, today’s collegiate cage fans are transported back to the time when only two teams –FEU and UST– are the UAAP.

Between 1978 and 2014, Gilas Pilipinas had already won a FIBA World Cup game. The San Miguel Beermen, Alaska Aces and the Purefoods Star Hotshots had won their grand slams in the PBA. But FEU versus UST? It’s either a ho-hum elimination round tussle or a Final Four battle.

Not like what we will all enjoy starting today.

Both FEU (19 titles) and UST (18, tied with UE) are the UAAP’s winningest. Beyond UAAP titles, the laboratories for basketball Olympians, Asian champions and the PBA’s greatest players are found in Sampaloc district.

No wonder the pre-war and early post-war UAAP was yellow versus yellow.

National teams have even been painted yellow. Early on, UST had the luminaries. There’s the “Jumping Jack” Jacinto Ciria Cruz, part of the 1936 Olympic team that placed fifth (Asia’s highest placing in the Olympics).

After the war, Ramoncito Campos, Jr. towed FEU to not only the UAAP title but steered national teams to the Olympics, the old World Basketball Championships, the Asian Games and the old Asian Basketball Confederation Championships.

Who could forget the 1948 London Olympics team? Six of them are from Sampaloc: Campos (FEU), Fely and Gabby Fajardo, Francisco “Six by Six” Vestil, Antonio “Pocholo” Martinez and Valentin “Tito” Eduque (UST).

From the 1970s to the late 1980s (the PBA era), there’s William “Bogs” Adornado and Danny Florencio for UST and Yoyoy Villamin and Glenn Capacio for FEU. Coaching? Don’t forget multiple-time UAAP champion Arturo “Turing” Valenzona.

Forward to the Gen-X and millennial generations. Yes UST had its stars in the PBA and in the national team: Dennis Espino, Bal David, Chris Cantonjos, Cyrus Baguio. But FEU had the more recognizable players in the current-day national teams and in the roster of MVPs: Johnny Abarrientos, Victor Pablo, Arwind Santos, Jeffrei Chan and Marc Pingris.

In the PBA’s Fabulous 40 greatest players, UST 2, FEU 3. In the Philippine National Basketball Hall of Fame (with some 22 players on it), FEU has Geronimo Cruz but UST has the Fajardo brothers, Rafael Hechanova, Jr. and Vestil.

See who made the UAAP their nesting ground early on (pre-1979): FEU 1938, 1939 (co-champs with UST and University of the Philippines), 1947 (co-winners with UST), 1951, 1956, 1961, 1972, 1973 and 1976. UST 1939 to 1940, 1946 to 1949, 1951 to 1953, 1955, 1959, 1964 and 1967 (co-titlists with UE).

But today’s the future, recognizable to millennials and the Gen-X. UST’s Kevin Ferrer, Karim Abdul and Ed Daquioag and FEU’s Mac Belo, Mike Tolomia and Achi Iñigo will perhaps think of their schools’ cage ancestors less come game time. What they’ll carry on their backs are dreams of a major triumph in this storied rivalry that dates way, way back.

This new decade, these schools have two botched title runs apiece. This 78th UAAP season, one team relies on a deep bench while another has the habit of eking out comeback wins with style to surprisingly become the top team after the elimination round.

Today’s best-of-three series is UAAP men’s basketball’s immediate future, one that can easily surpass record-breaking crowd attendances courtesy of the U-Belt’s most densely-populated universities. These modern-day Sampaloc squads are trying to morph a nation and their school fans back to an almost-forgotten era when collegiate basketball is either FEU or UST.

Either one of them wants to chart that new FEU-UST title era, a new collegiate hoops era –starting today.

 

 

 

Disclosure: The author teaches journalism at UST.

 

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About Jeremaiah Opiniano