Why UE is sitting pretty

SPORTING CHANCE
By Joaquin M. Henson
The Philippine Star
Wednesday, September 19, 2007

University of the East (UE) is head and shoulders above all in men’s senior basketball in the UAAP. With a 14-0 record, the Warriors are the only team to sweep the eliminations since the University of Santo Tomas did it in 1993.

Pong Ducanes of the UAAP statistical group put together a bunch of facts pointing to UE’s supremacy.

For the record, UE ranks No. 1 in offense (85.2 points), defense (69.1), field goal percentage (.436), field goal percentage allowed (.364), three-point conversions (91-of-263), three-point field goal percentage (.364), assists (18.8), fastbreak points (15.1), turnover points (22), second chance points (8.1) and bench points (39.4).

Note that the Warriors are tops in both offense and defense. A team that plays both ends with league-leading results is, without question, hard to beat. For the record, UE’s average winning margin is 16.1 points. The Warriors walloped the University of the Philippines by 40 and 36 in two games and Far Eastern University by 29 in three of the four most lopsided wins this season.

Despite the Warriors dominating the league in scoring, only two players are averaging in double figures – Mark Borboran (10.7) and Kelvin Gregorio (10.1). But there are 10 players averaging at least five points apiece, a tribute to coach Dindo Pumaren’s system of distributing the wealth. No other team has more players averaging at least five a game. Also, no UE player is averaging more than 21.6 minutes, meaning Pumaren never sticks to anyone longer than he has to.

What makes UE stand out is its strength of character. Players help each other out and don’t quarrel over playing time. Marcy Arellano is as important as James Martinez as Paul Lee as Narciso Llagas as Hans Thiele as Mark Fampulme and so on. Pumaren, in his fourth season as head coach, has defined roles for each of his players, leaving no room for misinterpretation or confusion on the floor.

UE’s reward for sweeping the eliminations is an outright slot in the best-of-three finals.

Through the years, UE has gained an enviable reputation for its rich championship tradition. Among the legendary Warriors in history are Robert Jaworski, Rudy Kutch, Ernie de Leon, Allan Caidic, Jerry Codiñera, James Yap, Jimmy Mariano, Johnny Revilla, Tito Varela, Bong Ravena, Rudy Distrito, Jimmy Manansala, Ronald Tubid, K. G. Canaleta, Rudy Soriano and Pumaren’s father Pilo.

Since joining the UAAP in 1952, UE has captured 18 basketball titles, including seven in a row.

It will be recalled that in last year’s tournament which UE hosted on its diamond jubilee, the school chose to suspend leading scorer Bonbon Custodio in a do-or-die playoff game against Santo Tomas. A win would’ve sent the Warriors into the finals. But UE wanted to deliver a strong message that in sports, it’s not just winning that counts but also how you win. The Warriors wound up losing to Santo Tomas by one point and exited with heads unbowed.

In benching Custodio, Pumaren had the bigger picture in mind. He bit the bullet (which by the way, was his PBA moniker) hard and didn’t flinch. He considered what lay ahead for the Warriors. He thought of how sitting or playing Custodio – in his final year of UAAP eligibility – would affect the team’s morale over the long haul. Pumaren sacrificed the present for a better tomorrow.

I still remember some of the Warriors weeping at the final buzzer. They came close to making it to the finals and would’ve likely advanced if not for Custodio’s absence.

I remember Pumaren gathering his troops, reassuring them of his faith and admiration for a fight well fought. He locked arms with his players, prayed to the Lord and asked for courage to face defeat with heads held high.

I remember saying to myself Pumaren was already thinking of next season.

Pumaren invested in the future by refusing to compromise the school’s principles and look where it has brought the Warriors this season.