Despite the sting of a narrow exit in the UAAP Season 88 High School Boys’ Basketball Final Four, first-year head coach Bacon Austria could not hide his immense pride in Ateneo de Manila University’s remarkable turnaround in the division.
After missing the postseason for three straight seasons — highlighted by back-to-back seventh-place finishes in Seasons 86 and 87 — the Blue Eagles orchestrated a stunning resurgence under Austria’s leadership.
Ateneo finished third in the eliminations with an 11-3 record, ultimately settling for bronze after a heartbreaking 89-90 defeat to second-seeded Far Eastern University-Diliman in the Final Four last Sunday, March 15, at the Blue Eagle Gym in Quezon City.
The narrow loss was painful, but Austria was quick to emphasize that it did little to overshadow the growth his team displayed throughout Season 88.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“I am just proud of the players, my coaching staff, and the community dahil maraming sumuporta today. Parang silver lining lang here is I try to zoom out from where we were the past few years. Parang seventh place for the past two years. From 3-11 to 11-3,” said Austria, the son of multi-champion PBA head coach Leo Austria.
“Overall, parang mahirap sabihin now na happy kasi galing sa talo, but siyempre just proud of everyone. From players to the coaching staff to the community. Ang daming sumuporta sa amin this year, especially when we started winning. People started to show up in different ways. Some gave us food sa practices, and some extended a helping hand. I am just grateful for everyone who supported the team.”
While many may view Season 88 as an overachievement for the Blue Eagles, Austria admitted that the opportunity that slipped away will leave a lingering sense of “what could have been.”
In the Final Four clash against FEU-D, Ateneo held a slim 88-87 lead with 58.4 seconds left, courtesy of consecutive baskets from second-generation cager Noah Banal. However, JB Cagurungan drilled the go-ahead triple that ultimately ended the Blue Eagles’ title hopes.
“I always tell them na when you play a tournament, the goal is to always win a championship. You give your best to always contend and eventually win the championship. People will say na we overachieved, pero sayang pa rin ‘eh. We were two or one free throw away because we missed 18 free throws today,” Austria shared.
Still, the additions of Banal, Eriobu, and the breakout campaigns of Audwyn Tamayo and presumptive Elite Team member Jay-M Leal helped propel Ateneo back to the Final Four for the first time in over six years — a milestone Austria feels proud of.
“I don’t wanna say right now na overachieved kasi the goal was always to win the championship. When you zoom out, yes, mukhang nag-overachieve kami from 3-11 to 11-3 with just a few guys coming in,” Austria added.
“I think Noah and Jude, and Audwyn were the most prominent, pero all of them were with the team last year pa lang. Ayoko naman i-grade kami, pero I am really just proud of how we played until the end.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
With several key players returning for Season 89, the Blue Eagles’ breakthrough campaign could be just the start of their resurgence in UAAP boys’ basketball.
Although Leal is set to move up to the seniors squad under head coach Tab Baldwin and six other players will graduate, Ateneo will retain much of its core. Banal, Eriobu, Ziv Espinas, and Tamayo are all expected to return, while Ateneo de Davao standouts Matt Cayetano, JM Sanoria, and Mackee Pelegrino are set to bolster Austria’s roster next season.
“I know we achieved a lot this season, pero if we want to make it this far or even farther next year, it means that there are a lot of things to improve on. With the guys coming in, we hope that they can help us get over the hump. Nothing is guaranteed, even if you recruit a lot of players,” Austria said.
“We saw some teams hyped up heading into the season and they didn’t make it. That’s basketball for you — whether you’re playing in the UAAP, the PBA, or NBA, we saw too many star players could not jive with each other. More than the work that we have to put in, the chemistry and a lot of things are in play.”
The Blue Eagles will now compete in the 2026 SMART-NBTC National Finals from March 22 to 29 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay before wrapping up the season with the Season 88 Boys’ Basketball 3×3 Tournament in late April.
