Basketball, as marketed by the media, is seen as a sport wherein the success of a team depends on a standout individual (a la Kiefer Ravena), a dynamic duo (a la Durant and Westbrook), a “big three” (a la Lebron, Wade, and Bosh), or sometimes, excellent coaching (a la Sonny Jaworski).

But such hero-worshiping marketing of basketball was shattered by the recently crowned UAAP men’s basketball champions, the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws.

In the post-game interview after they won the Season 78 championship, FEU’s head coach Nash Racela commended his squad for putting the team over themselves.

“All I can say is, we are a family. We think as a family, we live as a family,” the third year mentor said.

Collectivism

Racela bared that in all three games of the finals, the team was housed in the secluded FEU Diliman campus, located in a suburban village north of Quezon City.

Tolomia recalled that the location was a huge departure from the congested streets and distractions of Morayta.

“In Diliman, there are only a few stores and marketplace,” he said. “There is no nightlife, so we were like in a camp in a remote area.”

He added that they funded their meals from their own money, instead of sourcing from the varsity fund.

“We pitch in P100 each during mealtime. We do the rounds going to the market. We help each other in cooking. So we learned the value of contributing your assets for the team. We learned how to survive together, helping each other out,” he narrated.

Mark Belo denied Ed Daquioag’s final attack with all he had left, a defensive stand which ultimately sealed the win for FEU.

Win championship first

For king Tamaraw Mac Belo, winning the championship is his personal goal. Making a living in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is just secondary.

“You know what Mac told me before this season? Di bali na ang makarating sa PBA, basta mag-champion kami (Nevermind playing in the PBA, for as long as we become champions),” said athletic director Mark Molina.

“I just gave it my all, I was thinking that there is no tomorrow,” Belo said.

Asked about the possibility of a grave injury when he still played with cramps in the fourth quarter, Belo rebutted, “Hindi ko iniisip yun (I was not thinking about it.)”

To which, Racela interjected and asked Belo, “Remember what I wrote in the whiteboard during halftime?”

“Patay kung patay (Fight to the death),” Belo responded.

23.3 seconds away from a well-deserved championship, Coach Nash Racela huddles the Tamaraws.

Leaderless basketball

The Tamaraws continued what seems to be a paradigm shift in the increasingly commercialized world of UAAP basketball.

Molina asked this writer, “Do you remember the last time a team won the championship without a Mythical Five member? I can’t remember a team who did that.”

True indeed, not a single player from the Tamaraws was named to the Mythical Five.

However, that feat was achieved by last season’s champions, the National University Bulldogs, the team that previously outdueled the Tamaraws.

Likewise, in the popular National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Letran Knights won the championship this year without a Mythical Five member.

Such trend comes amidst numerous controversies of alleged piracy by two UAAP schools on former San Sebastian standout CJ Perez and Letran champion coach Aldin Ayo.

“That is how basketball is designed. It is a team sport. You can’t rely on one player,” Racela said.

He explained that it is about developing all players in a program, even the players in team B, to effectively continue the success of team A.

“We do not develop names here. This is about the team above everybody else,” Racela  concluded.