Newly crowned UAAP champions the Ateneo Blue Eagles have more cogs than their star players as “Buffaloes,” star in their championship run, most notably Jacob Lao.
With the Ateneo Blue Eagles reclaiming the UAAP S85 Men’s Basketball Championship, names such as Finals MVP Ange Kouame, Dave Ildefonso, Kai Ballungay, and BJ Andrade are splashed in articles and in television interviews.
But, as head tactician Tab Baldwin said those big names, no matter how much impact they have shown, cannot be given the sole credit as their success must be shared with their bench players led by Jacob Lao and Inand Fornillos.
“But there’s this thing now called the buffaloes, and nobody knows how important the buffaloes are. A big, big chunk of this championship trophy belongs in the hands of a group of young men, that most of you probably don’t even know their names,” said Baldwin during his postgame interview published by Inquirer.
“You can’t imagine the roles they played every day. Every day in practice. They simulated UP, they simulated Adamson. They simulated every opponent. And they didn’t even run our stuff in practice. They would dedicate themselves, and some of the coaches would dedicate themselves entirely to our opposition,” he added.
Jacob Lao, a name people may have only heard this season being a senior in Ateneo, made sure that his stay with the team will culminate by paying tribute to people who have shaped him as a person.
According to Tiebreaker Times, during the Thanksgiving Mass of Ateneo in the early hours of Tuesday, the 22-year-old thanked everyone from coaches to student-athletes who helped him during his stay in the university.
“Six months ago, I was on the verge of quitting because I didn’t feel like basketball was a thing for me after I lost my grandma,” recalled Lao. “But I had a great set of guys who supported me and always checked up on me. With all my heart, maraming salamat sa inyo. I owe you a lot at ang sarap maging Atenista lalo na’t champion ako.
The reserve floor general revealed that he had been saving his salary while working for the JF group the past four years, his allowance from Ateneo, and the allowance he got from his parents and gave it to the school.
“I know it’s small but half of this amount, I want to give it to the coaches. You guys work hard. I can pretty much say that I have all the best coaches here in the Philippines. I want to give the other half to my fellow Ateneo athletes. I know that sometimes, the life of being an athlete in Ateneo is hard. Now may emergency funds para makatulong,” he added.
His act of gratitude may seem like a grand gesture, but as Lao acknowledged his privilege, it may resonate to a lot more people and hopefully encourage other people to appreciate what they have and to share more of what they have in excess.
Tags: #UAAP, #Ateneo, #basketball