UAAP Basketball: One last year in Ateneo for that old Black magic

Only two minutes were left in the fourth quarter. It’s Game Two of the 2008 UAAP Finals between archrivals Ateneo and La Salle. The odds were in favor of the Blue Eagles as the green shirts played without foul-saddled stalwarts Jvee Casio and Rico Maierhofer. The buzzer rang. 62-51. Team captain Chris Tiu was in tears as he hugged the man who steered them to their first championship in six years – Coach Norman Black. “After three years of not winning, a lot of people were already being negative about the team,” recalls Black. But after three more years and three more crowns, Ateneo finds itself at a crossroad. The head coach who gave them a four-peat would leave after one last season to bring back that old black magic to the PBA. Going back to college Ateneo University Athletics Director Ricky Palou offered Black the job of team consultant to the Blue Eagles in 2004. Black, a successful import in the PBA, had moved up the ranks from player, to player-coach, to full-time coach, steering the San Miguel Beermen franchise to nine crowns, plus a grandslam in 1989. But after 2002, Black’s contract with his last team, the Sta. Lucia Realtors, was not renewed, opening the door for him to accept the Ateneo gig. A year after taking the consultant role, he replaced Sandy Arespacochaga as head coach of a team that was already at the cusp of greatness.

He knew how he wanted the team to turn out: a defensive powerhouse. He always reminded his boys that “defense wins championships.” How he would materialize that goal was the tricky part. It was his first time handling a college team, and he was a bit unsure at first because he wasn’t familiar enough with his team. “I was handed a team that I didn’t know. I didn’t recruit any of those players so there was a very small bond. I had to find out their strengths and weaknesses, what works and what doesn’t,” he says. Darkest before the dawn After a debut season that saw Black pilot the Blue Eagles to a 10-4 record and a spot in the semifinals, everybody thought that the Blue Eagles would recapture the crown in 2006. With a lineup that included JC Intal, Doug Kramer and Macky Escalona, among others, Ateneo easily finished the elimination round at the top of the pack. In the Finals, they met a University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers team that had only mustered flashes of brilliance during the elimination round. As it turned out, Ateneo would be blinded by one of those same flashes. Game One was something a true blue fan would forever have etched in his or her memory. With a second left in the game, UST was up by one point, 72-71. The Growling Tigers were already celebrating until the referees reminded them that there was still a second left. With UST crowding their defense on Ateneo’s outside shooters, Kramer was left open under the post. He easily hit a board shot off the inbounds pass to make it, 73-72, first blood to Ateneo. But it was all UST from that point on. No one could have warned Ateneo about Dylan Ababou and Jojo Duncil, both of whom produced remarkable double-digit outings in the next two games. Ateneo lost the rest of the series, with a heartbreaking one field goal deficit in Game Three, 76-74. The Ateneo faithful were disappointed. They were all prepared for the impending Bonfire, a big university party held in celebration of UAAP champion teams. In eager anticipation, they had even bought fireworks which unfortunately wouldn’t get lit. In 2007, they finished third after losing to eventual champion La Salle in the semifinals. No fireworks once again. Black’s Eagles seemed stuck in a rut, with some alumni quietly wondering if a change at the coaching spot would do the team some good. Then the winning began. Four-peat After three very close cracks at the crown, the Blue Eagles finally won the first of their four UAAP championships in 2008. “It was the fourth and final year of my contract with Ateneo. Everybody wanted to win the championship in time for the celebration of Ateneo’s sesquicentennial in 2009. Thank God we finally made it after three years,” Black explains. It was well worth the wait as they did not only win – they dethroned defending champion La Salle. It was a sweet revenge for the Eagles. Three more trophies came after that, one over the University of the East Red Warriors and two over the Far Eastern University Tamaraws. But of the four, there was one that Black held close to his heart. “My most favorite memory with Ateneo would have to be our third championship. It was the year that we were not favored to win. Rabeh and Nonoy had graduated. People were saying it’s not the same winning team. You won’t win. There’s no superstar,” he shares. The Hail Mary squad finished the elimination round at second place after dominating the standings dutring the past two years. While they had four losses in the round robin stage, they easily swept the semifinals against Adamson and the Finals versus FEU. “I feel that we were overachievers that season,” says Black with a smile of satisfaction on his face. The Rajko-Chot-Norman shuffle While everything was going Ateneo’s way in the collegiate ranks, something was brewing in the pros and Black was smack in the middle of it. When the Pilipinas Smart Gilas failed to win FIBA Asia, the management decided not to renew Coach Rajko Toroman’s contract. Talk ‘N Text head coach Chot Reyes was eyed to lead the next incarnation of the national team, leaving the PBA chair open. Rumors had it that the bosses wanted Black, a consultant for the squad, in there. “I know the players very well and we also run a defensive system. It became easier to decide because I knew I’m not moving from a strong to a weak team,” he says. Black led the Blue Eagles not just to four UAAP crowns, but also to several national and pre-season titles. His UAAP record was an outstanding 78-18 win-loss after Season 74, along the way producing PBA stars (JC Intal, Doug Kramer, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Nonoy Baclao), ABL standouts (Jai Reyes) and national team players (Greg Slaughter, Nico Salva). As you might have guessed, Ateneo tried to make Black stay. “Not only the school, but also the alumni tried to convince me to stay. But at this point in my career, I feel that this is the best for myself and for my family,” he shares. On February 18, the rumors of Black leaving Ateneo were finally put to rest because they were confirmed. Ateneo officially announced that Black would resign after the 2012 season to return to the PBA. He would, however, stay as team consultant for two more years. He shares that the players were all aware of it even before he sat them down. With all the speculations in the papers, the boys were saddened but not at all shocked when they heard the news. “We've been hearing that it's Coach Norman's last year and probably to give everybody peace of mind, they just announced it so we could focus,” says prized recruit Greg Slaughter. “But training is still the same as we've set our goal for the five-peat. And I know I definitely want to do everything I can to make Coach Norman’s last season the best it can be,” he adds. The end of Black’s dynasty “Of course it is hard for me to just let go of Ateneo. I’ve been here the last eight years. We’ve basically built a collegiate powerhouse team. And whenever you change jobs, there’s always a question on the transition,” says Black. While Black’s future is already assured, there’s still the looming question of his replacement. As of writing, the selection committee still hadn’t named a new head coach. Even though he’ll only have three more years, this season as coach, two more as consultant with the Blue Eagles, he wants to make sure that he’ll leave them in an able hand. He is, after all, not just a coach. He has become the players’ mentor and second father figure. “Watching the players improve their talent and grow – that’s probably the thing I’m proudest of during my stay here. When the players come in at 16 or 17, all stars back in high school, they’re still immature,” he stops and smiles. “But you see them slowly grow not just as players, but as people, in your team.” And as a gift to his team and to the university that took him in for almost a decade, there’s one last thing he wants to accomplish. “All the other teams are sick of us winning, we know that. And our goal’s the same as every year. I want to win the championship. How many people in this era can say that they’ve won a five-peat?” he says without batting an eyelash. He glanced at his players who were warming up for a tune-up game. After giving a few reminders to his assistant coaches, he checked their playbook. It was just like every other day in training. The players acted like they were not losing the coach who led them to four straight titles. At the same time, it seemed like the whole gym was a ticking time bomb of emotions – excitement, sadness, pressure, anxiety, all rolled in one. “For sure it’s going to be more emotional after the UAAP,” he said, as if reading this writer's mind, aware of the silent countdown, ticking away to his departure. “But right now, I’m still here. There’s still work to be done.” He stood up and went to the huddle. They had a tune-up game to win. - AMD, GMA NEWS