Olsen Racela sees promising future for Ateneo | ABS-CBN

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Olsen Racela sees promising future for Ateneo

Olsen Racela sees promising future for Ateneo

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

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Former Ateneo player Olsen Racela echoed the common sentiment that the Blue Eagles overachieved this season. File photo from Arvin Lim, ABS-CBN Sports.

MANILA, Philippines — Former Blue Eagle Olsen Racela predicts a bright future for the Ateneo men's basketball team, even as he admits that the road to the UAAP Season 80 championship will still go through the De La Salle Green Archers.

Racela was among the 17,000 people at the Araneta Coliseum on December 7 who witnessed the Blue Eagles' final stand against La Salle in Game 2 of the UAAP Season 79 men's basketball finals.

Ateneo bowed to the Green Archers, 79-72, but put up a ferocious fight against the title favorites, rallying back from a double-digit deficit to make it a four-point game in the final quarter.

"Ateneo was able to stay in the game hanggang sa dulo because of their defense. Ang Ateneo naman kasi is known for that. Sabi nga nila, One Big Fight," said Racela, who was part of the Ateneo team that won the 1988 UAAP title.

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"(But) this game showed that talent for talent, malakas talaga 'yung La Salle."

Racela, now a member of Barangay Ginebra's coaching staff, says making it to the finals is "a big achievement" for an Ateneo team that was not even considered a final four contender at the start of the UAAP tournament.

"Experts say hindi man lang makaka-final four ang Ateneo," he said. "They made it to the finals. That's a very big achievement for this very young team."

"I think, going into next year, si (G-Boy) Babilonia lang yata ang ga-graduate. So the future looks promising," he added.

For Racela, there is no way the Blue Eagles will fly under the radar in Season 80, the way they did for most of the Season 79 tournament.

"Perennial favorites naman ang Ateneo," he said, "And they showed it this year, even with a not-really-strong lineup."

As painful as it may be for the Atenean to admit, however, Racela acknowledged that the Green Archers should still be the championship favorites next season even though La Salle will lose four players including Finals MVP Jeron Teng.

"Next year, La Salle pa rin siguro," he said. "Andiyan pa si (Ben) Mbala eh. Kung maglalaro pa si Mbala, malakas pa rin ang La Salle."

He is counting on Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin to again steer the Blue Eagles next season, especially once they get some promising recruits into the team.

Ateneo's lineup went through huge changes over the summer, when seven players were declared ineligible. Another recruit, Tyler Tio, was also declared ineligible just days before the season started.

"Coach Tab has done a marvelous job this year. Even with this line-up, 'di ba, ang ganda ng pinakita nila," said Racela. "So you can only imagine what Coach Tab is going to do when their recruits come in."

For more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.

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