Being an old fashioned sort I just love it when things I thought were long dead make a comeback. Case in point: the Ateneo San Beda basketball rivalry. No, San Beda is not (yet) in the UAAP. Neither has Ateneo made a return to the NCAA. Thanks to the hardcore tournaments organized by the intrepid Mr Noel Ascue however, true hoops junkies get to see glimpses of what was once the greatest rivalry in Philippine college hoops. If the MICAA had YCO Ysmael Steel, and the PBA had Toyota Crispa, college hoopdom once had Ateneo San Beda.

Rizal Coliseum was the only other basketball venue of consequence in those days, and it could not have been more aptly named. The old Rizal was home to gladiatorial combat of the hardcourt variety, with heroes, antiheroes and heels plying their trade in front of limited but raucous crowds. No VIP boxes here, not even an entrance fee. .

To those of you who only watch either the UAAP or the NCAA cage wars, methinks its time you find the time to catch the Finals of the Fr Martin Cup Open Division, because this will feature the Blue Eagles and the Red Lions in a one game winner-take-all championship match. UAAP players seeing action for the Ateneo include JC Intal and Macky Escalona, while San Beda has NCAA regulars like Ogie Menor and JR Taganas. One interesting side light: former San Beda Red Lion now Blue Eagle in waiting Ronnie Bughao will be squaring off against his former team. Other former Beda boys now on the Ateneo roster include Yuri Escueta, Jeff De Guzman and Mike Baldos.

Ateneo has so far been a perfect 3 0 against this same San Beda team, dating back to the last FMC tournament as well as the Friendship Match hosted by the Lions at the St Placid Gym about a month ago. In their last match last 19 February, Ateneo needed two overtimes to edge Beda 108-106 in an uncharacteristically high scoring affair. Bughao led Ateneo with 24 or 25 points while future NCAA superstar Pong Escobal had 23 points to lead San Beda. Its interesting to note that the two men most likely to take over the starting point guard spots for the respective schools are the ones leading the way. This can only bode well for Ateneo and San Beda.

Ateneo once played exclusively with its B Team, but have since been reinforced with three of their UAAP starters, almost all of whom scored in the 20s during their game over the weekend. San Beda is slowly gelling as a team, as evidenced by the more active participation of Nigerian giant Sam Ekwe on offense. Look for Ateneo to go to their UAAP veterans in the finals, even as the young lions like Escobal and Ekwe carry the torch for San Beda.

This will be a game of transition versus the half court. Even with the youngsters on San Beda, Ateneo clearly has the edge when the game turns up-tempo. There arent very many teams that can keep up with Ateneo in the open court with the likes of Bughao, Paulo Dizon, Mark and JC Intal, Escalona and Kramer all capable of staying in fifth gear for 40 minutes. San Beda on the other hand is tough to stop at the half court, with their towering lineup of Ekwe, Michael Burtscher, Eric Sugitan and Mike Galinato making like a walking skyline. The slashing of Menor and the shooting of Escobal keep defenses honest.

On defense though, Ateneo seems to be a tougher customer, not necessarily because theyre tougher or stronger, but because of the simple philosophy of Coach Norman Black: never give up the inside plays and always help and jam the passing lanes from the wing to stop entry passes and the drive and draw. On the other hand, Coach Koy Banal is famous for making defense his overriding coaching philosophy. His zones are very tight and highly disciplined. There isnt very much emphasis on blocks or steals, but rather preventing high percentage shots by matching up and scrambling the patterns of the offensive team.

However, the young Lions are still short of fully grasping the Banal system, and have often been chastised by Banal whenever switches and recoveries get all mixed up. Plus San Beda is not as fleet of foot as Ateneo on transition, as evidenced by the disparity in fast break opportunities and points favoring Ateneo. Black on the other hand is having a tough time trying to stop the pick and roll of tall, athletic teams like San Beda, especially with crackerjack slashers and shooters like Tecson, Bam Gamalinda and Angeles moving very well without the ball.

All told this will not be a game of match-ups. This will boil down to who exerts better team effort. One or two players on either side might go nuts and shoot the lights out, but ultimately whoever plays more as a team, helps on defense, makes the extra pass on offense, and imposes their overall strategy will win.

Fearless forecast: San Beda by four, 82-78 or something in that neighborhood.