Ateneo dynasty

It took Ateneo de Manila University time before it became a legit UAAP powerhouse. In the 90s, Ateneo wasn't even considered to be on the same class as rival De La Salle University, always finishing outside of the top spot behind perennial contenders University of Santo Tomas, Far Eastern University and the University of the East.

But my, oh my, time indeed changes everything.

A boatload of MVP-ish sponsorship later and we are bound to see another rare four-peat by the still undefeated Blue Eagles who are seated atop the UAAP ranks with a 9-0 card.

The pieces are there, and they just keep on coming. Yes, DLSU has indeed scored on some RP Youth standouts and even UST, but Ateneo still has the biggest names and just keeps on adding to it-- this year with SMART Gilas slotman 6"11 Greg Slaughter (who is still a project skills-wise, but is the most dominant force in the paint given his mobility and height) and the "Phenom" Kiefer Ravena (who, in his first year, already has Ateneo jerseys being sold by the dozen, his own website and Facebook fanpage among others).

Do I see the Eagles winning this year's title? Definitely and it's not even close. Should the Eagles lose to an unseen underdog, I would be truly disappointed.

And no, I don't see the team dipping once Slaughter and Kirk Long move on with their lives (Long won't be eligible to play in the PBA because he's not Filipino, but hey, maybe he can suit up for the San Miguel Beermen in the Asean Basketball League). Next season, we're looking at Ravena and hopefully more polished Justin Chua (who's damn tall himself).

The only way I see this team losing is if one of their rivals get a Sam Ekwe-ish import and masquerade him as an honest-to-goodness "student" and pair him with a Ray Ray Parks or Jeric Fortuna.

OR

If DLSU goes back to their winning blueprint of getting Fil-Am guards and letting them wreak havoc in the UAAP.