A championship like never before
The run of the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles to the top of the Philippine collegiate sports world has been nothing short of special. And no one knows this better than team booster Manny V. Pangilinan.
“This is a team that’s quite special to me,” said Pangilinan during the team’s Thanksgiving Mass held at the Church of the Gesu in Ateneo, Sunday evening.
“I’ve been exposed to a lot of basketball in my life, and this team has been special to me since my first game.”
Pangilinan has been one of the staunch supporters of the program since the mid-2000s. He helped develop the program, making the school a player in the recruitment wars. Moreover, the philantrophist was a huge part during the Ateneo Blue Eagles’ historic five-title run from 2008 to 2012.
This batch has proved to be special for him, however, as the team remained humble amid the success they experienced, which was capped by the Blue Eagles’ 88-86 title-clinching win over archrivals De La Salle University Green Archers.
With this, the chairman of SMART Communications Inc. rewarded the Blue Eagles by giving each member of the team an iPhone X. Each phone has a market value that ranges from PHP 73,990 to 82,799.
Pangilinan then threw down a challenge to the Blue Eagles.
“After five years of drought, the championship has finally returned… and let’s make sure it stays here!”
Quotes from The Guidon
