As Ateneo celebrates its fourth straight championship with dreams of more entirely possible, big words like "destiny" and "dynasty" are going to be thrown around. Before everyone begins to believe that there's nothing stopping Ateneo in the future, other schools should take note that stopping the Blue Eagles takes only 2 steps.
Step # 1 Yo Teach!!!
As the UAAP gained popularity, big-name coaches have arrived to ply their wares, and Ateneo snagged one in Norman Black. The thing is, though, it's not Black's PBA and NBA experience that's made him an incredibly successful UAAP coach. It's the fact that he is a teaching coach that's separated him (and his team) from the rest of the pack. When commentators talk about how Black doesn't play rookies often, it's not just a coach "thing." Black teaches players skills and waits for their skill to develop before placing them in deep water situations. All players in the Ateneo program get better as they get older. Everyone from Chris Tiu (ball handling) to Rabeh Al-Hussaini (defense) to Kirk Long (outside shooting) to Nico Salva (decision making) have all shown improvements and became stars only in their 3rd or 4th years. The way people view the UAAP sometimes skews the fact that the players are young and their skills have not fully matured. Coaches that remember that and take time to develop skills instead of worrying about wins will be rewarded handsomely.
