On Destiny: The Animo Spirit and Project 6th Man

(c) The LaSallian

Destiny.

That's what I thought when Vosotros hoisted up an open 3-pointer at the end of Game 1 of the UAAP Season 76 Men's Basketball Finals to win the game. We were on a 9-game winning streak. We'd hit big clutch shots during that streak, like Almond's game-winner against Adamson, the ball bouncing around before settling in the basket.  And, who could forget disposing of our archrivals with a Jeron Teng go-ahead basket in an incredibly heated game. Once again, this big shot should go in. It's supposed to go in.



For me, it was even more than that. I had been raised a Lasallian, even though I did not attend a La Salle school. My dad, a BSA graduate of La Salle, would always make me watch the DLSU-ADMU games on TV. In 2009, I finally entered De La Salle University as a wide-eyed freshman ready to cheer on the Green Archers as a bonafide Lasallian.

That season, the Green Archers missed the UAAP Final 4 for the first time in history.

"Malas ng batch natin," was the joke, but as the years went by, the pain as a fan became more and more deep-seated. It didn't feel like I was cheering for a team driven to succeed (no offense intended, if this ever gets to them).  I remember the disappointment of watching games, seeing our players throw lazy passes, force shots, give up on defense, and play as individuals rather than as a team. I remember one year, we played NU (before the Parks era) for a chance at the Final 4--and lost a game should have easily won. I remember losing to cellar-dweller UP. I remember losing by double-digits to Ateneo so much that it became expected--and then watching the Blue Eagles win the title every year. I remember "keeping the faith" and believing every game that that would be the game wherein our team would finally gel and turn things around. And then, they wouldn't.

8.19.2009. Ateneo beats us handily, leading by as much as 20, in a lopsided game.

Entering my fifth year, I still believed. Most of my batchmates had already graduated, since my course is just one of the few five-year courses in DLSU.  They had come and gone without witnessing DLSU basketball glory.  This year I just kept thinking, "One more year. Another chance." Maybe the five years would be worth it, and I would see our team make the Finals or at least beat Ateneo convincingly. Maybe it was destiny that it took 5 years.

So, as Vosotros missed and the ball fell onto the floor at Araneta, so did an all-too-familiar weight onto my chest. Revilla picked it up and had time for a layup, and I thought, Ah, here. HERE's destiny. Abdul's slap on the ball promptly threw my hopes back to the ground.

It was a Wednesday evening, and driving back to BF Paranaque from Araneta took an eternity in the EDSA traffic. It was there that I replayed in my head the UST crowd going nuts even when DLSU was making a run.  It sounded no different from when they were up big right after another Ferrer three.  It was no softer in volume.  It had PUSO written all over it.

Maybe our idea of Green Archer basketball had been shaped by the Lasallian winning tradition. We had a 4-peat to welcome the new millenium. We avenged our 90's bridesmaid finishes to UST by winning in dramatic fashion in 1999. We were always in the Final 4, even when other schools won their titles. Then, little by little, the recent DLSU basketball "dark ages" chipped away at that idea. Our belief in ourselves and our team was slowly eroded. Disappointing seasons numbed our Animo spirit.  I think many of us have just been absolutely bewildered. Why aren't we winning? What happened to the Lasallian winning tradition?

UAAP Finals 1999. After Aldeguer hit the 3 that sent Game 3 into OT and spared DLSU from enduring another bridesmaid finish at the hands of UST. (c) GoArchers.com

Maybe we've been accustomed to believe that La Salle is supposed to win. We have a "tradition" of winning, a history of great feats by big names like Pumaren, Aldeguer, Ritualo, Yeo, and Casio.  Maybe that's why the La Salle crowd goes silent when the Green Archers make 2-3 consecutive bad plays.  It's like we're saying to our players, "You better perform. Lasalista ka. You will only earn my approval and my applause if you play well and win."

If the 5-year drought of our Green Archers has taught us anything, it is that destiny is controlled by our very own hands. Allado, Ritualo, and Aldeguer did not win because of tradition. The 4-peat had not happened yet. They won because they put in the work to become good enough to finally overcome UST and the rest of their Finals opponents. JV, TY, and Cholo did not win because they were supposed to win after a suspension year, in order to make a great story. They won because they wanted it, and earned it against an unbeaten UE team that had gone 14-0. Destiny does not honor tradition; destiny honors the deserving.

(c) The LaSallian

It is that thought which prompted me to begin the Facebook event page "Project 6th Man." I felt that it was not just the players that had been lackluster over the years, but the "6th" player in the arena--the crowd. Many of us have resorted to cheering when up and criticizing when down. We've disassociated ourselves from the team, pointing fingers like they are disgraced celebrities instead of encouraging them like they are brothers in arms.

The event page called for a sort of "social contract" wherein you would only click "Attending" if you agreed to cheer with all you had in you, regardless of the game situation. The page was made public on the same evening of Game 1, and the response was overwhelming. We hit 3,700 attendees, but more importantly, I think the page sparked a renewed passion among the fans. People were posting encouragements for the team, ideas for cheering, plans to recognize Norbert for skipping graduation ceremonies, banner ideas, and anti-scalping posts in order to increase the number of green shirts in the crowd.  Kristine Hernandez, who is close to the team, shot, edited, and posted on the page a video of the players talking about the importance of crowd support in their games. She did this a day before her CPA Board Exam, which took place during Game 2. That's some school spirit.

Posted on the Project 6th Man Facebook event page. 

In Game 2, the DLSU crowd was raucous.  We won convincingly, but more importantly, the crowd was revived. The Animo was revived. UST's printed tarps saying "We are the 6th man." were only a testament to the impact we had made. And, in Game 3, we saw destiny unfold. Not because we were La Salle. Not because this series was supposed to mirror the 1999 series. But because our team earned this title. Coming back from 15 down in the 3rd, responding to an incredible Jeric Teng turnaround putting UST up 69-67 with 34 seconds left in OT, and recovering from crucial Jeron turnovers and a missed free throw--our team showed why they deserved this title. And destiny honored that.

As fans, may we always remember the feeling of being a Lasallian when we win; when we cannot help but wear our green shirts everywhere. We find identity in being a Lasallian. So when we do not win, may we remember that the Animo spirit is not about winning, but about zeal. May we always hold to an unwavering zeal and belief in our athletes, our students, and our institution. May we find identity in being a Lasallian at all times. And may we always remember that destiny does not precede or presuppose performance, but rather is its reward.