UAAP-NCAA All-Star Game 2010 Experience

All eyes on he: Ateneo Blue Eaglets young gun Kiefer Ravena
is bound to join his school's senior team next season.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

Last Saturday, it was my first time to watch some college ball -- an exhibition game for that matter. Although I was expecting absolute competition, it wasn't exactly what I was looking for to say the least. I did have fun watching the event though. Thankfully, I didn't have problems going to the Fil-Oil Arena in San Juan.

When I got there, the Juniors All-Star game was already underway -- only 5 minutes left in the 1st quarter to be exact. Wasn't much of a crowd in attendance but it didn't matter. I got an opportunity to see the Ateneo Blue Eagles Seniors team bound Kiefer Ravena in action. Looks to be a promising young player.

UAAP-NCAA Seniors ready for the game.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

He was pretty much the go-to guy for UAAP juniors -- obviously. Didn't care much about the stats just as long as I was enjoying the game. Being a virgin in watching live college ball, I thought student fans of the UAAP and NCAA would be kind of loud, so to speak -- I was wrong -- Dead wrong!

If I thought watching a PBA game live at the Araneta Coliseum was rowdy enough, I got another think coming. The fan(s) I was talking about from, well, the third sex -- no hate on them, for the record. I'm just amazed of how they keep their energy level the entire game, let alone the entire event. One example is this die-hard fan of UE's Paul Lee and a certain Adamson Falcons player during the seniors game (I forgot who it was). The fan was indeed ready for the festivities and definitely brought not just his energy but banner(s) as well.

He would shriek whenever that player scored and if there's some that would complain, he'd say this "Wala akong pakialam, bahala kayo! Hindi nyo ako kaya!" For International readers (if there are some) here's the english translation: "I don't care what you all think! You can't stop me!"

That's what I call hardcore!

The UAAP juniors beat the NCAA juniors 85-81. No surprise, that Keifer Raven was the leader for his squad dropping 30 points on their NCAA counterparts. Props to the NCAA juniors for giving their opponents a run for their money. Baser Amer of San Beda managed to get the Player of the Game plum despite the loss.

Shy guy on the floor.
(Photo by Roy Afable)

Next up, the All-Star 2-ball game featuring the father and son teams from the UAAP and NCAA. Bong and Kiefer Raven of Ateneo won the contest for UAAP.

On a sad note, the Slam Dunk competition didn't happen. I was actually looking forward to that event because I wanted to see San Beda's Sudan Daniel do his flashy dunks and dominate. I heard he was nursing an injury of sorts that's why it didn't happen thus he's not also part of the Seniors NCAA squad -- minus coach Frankie Lim, who's in China with Pilipinas Smart Gilas Team for the Asian Games.

So much for my anticipation of a dunk contest.

It's time now for the main event -- the UAAP-NCAA Seniors All-Star game. My camera's failed me just in time for the seniors game. UAAP players were introduced first. I noticed that Eric Salamat was wearing Paul Lee's jersey and vice versa during the player introductions(too bad I never got a chance to take a snapshot on both of them -- epic fail!). It would've been dope if they both dudes didn't change back to their normal jerseys when they played. The NCAA squad was introduced next minus Sudan Daniel and coach Frankie Lim. Red Lions Assistant Coach Ed Cordero helmed the NCAA team.

Since Daniel didn't suit up for NCAA, I figured the UAAP team would instantly win the game. They didn't have anybody to contain National University's resident Nigerian Emmanuel Mbe in the UAAP lineup -- and I was right all along. It was very much a lopsided win for the UAAP over the NCAA 90-76. Surprisingly, it was UE Red Warriors' Paul Lee that led the UAAP. He had 14 points, I believe in the game. I forgot his other stats.

So what do I think about my first attendance of the UAAP/NCAA event? It was all good minus the Slam Dunk contest. Since the event was for a cause, I guess it doesn't whether it was apacked house or not. Props to Bantay Bata 163 and ABS-CBN Sports for putting up the event.

The real winners are the kids that will benefit from this charity event.