To say that De La Salle's road to the championship was difficult is the understatement of the year.
First, they came back from their one-year suspension, the decision of the UAAP board of which some argue as unfair. After all, LaSalle itself was the whistleblower in this. They didn't need to tell that 2 of their players had falsified DECS papers. But they did tell on them, in the spirit of honesty and transparency, in sportsmanship and competition. We had to give up the 2004 Championship, which we would have won anyway because no other team can match us then. I dare every other collegiate institution to check their own ranks and come clean.
In the eliminations, they were beaten twice by both UE and Ateneo, once by UST - the 3 other teams in the Final Four.
La Salle had to fight for every basket with Ateneo in their 3rd meeting, which gave them the 2nd spot and the twice to beat advantage.
Then, they had to go 2 games again with the same Ateneo squad, losing the heartbreaker of a first game by just a point, then soundly beating them in the 2nd game to finally advance to the Finals, where they feel right at home.
You could say a miracle happened after that. UE, who swept the elimination round (14-0), played their last game Sept 13 and earned the first Finals slot. Then they had to wait out for an opponent, which seemed like an eternity -- 3 weeks without any games is indeed just that for a UAAP team. La Salle finally came in with enough emotional momentum to, would you believe, dictate the Finals matches? UE was supposed to control the series. UE seemed unstoppable on paper, with its 2nd unit equally as strong as their 1st five. La Salle's bench was depleted with the injury of Marko Batricevic before the start of the conference, the suspension of Brian Ilad, and with Rico Maierhofer playing hurt. But you cannot coach toughness and heart to a team. You can not teach experience to a squad. UE didn't have that. UE, even after going 14-0, was a child in the Finals. Their last Finals appearance was in 1990, which they lost, yup, you guessed it, to the Archers. So their 16-0 Season dream vanished. This year is La Salle's year! No UAAP board, no Anton Montinola, no LaSalle-bashing can put us down!!! Today is when we take our rightful place in the basketball land.
So thanks to all the other teams for making this season one of the best in recent memory. Thanks to UST for proving that you could not have one Season 69 if La Salle were around. Thank you to Ateneo for giving us one hell of a series - 5 games - and helping us prove that 2 is indeed greater than 3. Thank you to UE for accepting defeat with grace. Thank you to Coach Franz Pumaren for being unfazed in some of the more hopeless situations and fighting and winning right back. Thank you to all the players, the graduating ones: TY and Cholo, next years leaders, JVee and Rico, and to the rest of the boys. We will be back next year to defend our title.
Now, shut up already and let us sing our Alma Mater song, for crying out loud!
Hail, Hail
Alma Mater,
Hail to De La Salle!
We'll hold your banner high and bright,
A shield of green and white,
We'll fight to keep your glory bright,
And never shall we fail,
Hail to thee our Alma Mater!
Hail! Hail! Hail!!!
First, they came back from their one-year suspension, the decision of the UAAP board of which some argue as unfair. After all, LaSalle itself was the whistleblower in this. They didn't need to tell that 2 of their players had falsified DECS papers. But they did tell on them, in the spirit of honesty and transparency, in sportsmanship and competition. We had to give up the 2004 Championship, which we would have won anyway because no other team can match us then. I dare every other collegiate institution to check their own ranks and come clean.
In the eliminations, they were beaten twice by both UE and Ateneo, once by UST - the 3 other teams in the Final Four.
La Salle had to fight for every basket with Ateneo in their 3rd meeting, which gave them the 2nd spot and the twice to beat advantage.
Then, they had to go 2 games again with the same Ateneo squad, losing the heartbreaker of a first game by just a point, then soundly beating them in the 2nd game to finally advance to the Finals, where they feel right at home.
You could say a miracle happened after that. UE, who swept the elimination round (14-0), played their last game Sept 13 and earned the first Finals slot. Then they had to wait out for an opponent, which seemed like an eternity -- 3 weeks without any games is indeed just that for a UAAP team. La Salle finally came in with enough emotional momentum to, would you believe, dictate the Finals matches? UE was supposed to control the series. UE seemed unstoppable on paper, with its 2nd unit equally as strong as their 1st five. La Salle's bench was depleted with the injury of Marko Batricevic before the start of the conference, the suspension of Brian Ilad, and with Rico Maierhofer playing hurt. But you cannot coach toughness and heart to a team. You can not teach experience to a squad. UE didn't have that. UE, even after going 14-0, was a child in the Finals. Their last Finals appearance was in 1990, which they lost, yup, you guessed it, to the Archers. So their 16-0 Season dream vanished. This year is La Salle's year! No UAAP board, no Anton Montinola, no LaSalle-bashing can put us down!!! Today is when we take our rightful place in the basketball land.
So thanks to all the other teams for making this season one of the best in recent memory. Thanks to UST for proving that you could not have one Season 69 if La Salle were around. Thank you to Ateneo for giving us one hell of a series - 5 games - and helping us prove that 2 is indeed greater than 3. Thank you to UE for accepting defeat with grace. Thank you to Coach Franz Pumaren for being unfazed in some of the more hopeless situations and fighting and winning right back. Thank you to all the players, the graduating ones: TY and Cholo, next years leaders, JVee and Rico, and to the rest of the boys. We will be back next year to defend our title.
Now, shut up already and let us sing our Alma Mater song, for crying out loud!
Hail, Hail
Alma Mater,
Hail to De La Salle!
We'll hold your banner high and bright,
A shield of green and white,
We'll fight to keep your glory bright,
And never shall we fail,
Hail to thee our Alma Mater!
Hail! Hail! Hail!!!
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