Soaring on the wings of redemption, the Ateneo Blue Eagles aim to fly back into the top of the men’s collegiate basketball summit.
Often the UAAP men’s basketball perennial powerhouse, Ateneo Blue Eagles co-captains Chris Koon and Sean Quitevis see things quite differently for their squad heading to Season 87.
“I think our mentality this year is a lot more [of] the underdog mentality,” Quitevis bared in an exclusive interview with One Sports, a rare statement from a basketball program who owns 12 titles that including a rare five-peat from 2008-2012.
More so from a team that went to six straight Finals from Seasons 79-85, resulting in four championships during the stretch.
But Ateneo came empty-handed last Season 86, barely making reaching the Final Four before ending their title-retention bid against rivals UP Fighting Maroons.
[ALSO READ: Fans air frustration, trash talk as UP dethrones Ateneo in Final Four]
After a whirlwind of an offseason that saw them lose six players, the Blue Eagles now set their sights on reclaiming the top dog status once more.
“I feel like we wanna play good basketball as well. We want to look composed, we wanna be tough and we want to be labeled as a team that never gives up.”
While losing some of the big names of collegiate basketball, Ateneo welcomes three promising players in Jared Bahay, Kristian Porter and Femi Edu.
[ALSO READ: UAAP Season 87 preview: Ateneo eyes quick rebuild of dynasty with prized recruits entering Katipunan]
Koon, who averaged 9.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists last season, is pleased with their integration to the squad with just one week left before the new season opens.
“A lot of young guys are still learning the system, but I feel we progressed really far throughout this last six/seven months.“
“We’re just glad to have a great coaching staff that helps us lead as well.”
Now tasked to lead the Blue Eagles back to the UAAP mountain top, Quitevis felt their successful pre-season campaign in the Fu Jen Catholic University (FJCU) Cup in Taiwan earlier this month was a good start for their title aspirations.
“I think the state of the team is currently highly motivated. It was really motivating for us. It gave us a boost of confidence. We just gotta keep building on it,” Quitevis said.
Promising a new-found sense of urgency for Ateneo, the Blue Eagles' co-captain reiterates the end goal for the Katipunan based-squad.
“The goal is the championship so we’ll do everything we can,” Quitevis proclaimed.
“It’s really your backs against the walls so the only thing left to do is to fight. We’re gonna take one game at a time and let’s see how far that gets us.”