MANILA, Philippines – Ateneo could well be on its way to a rare UAAP four-peat as the Eagles landed four of the brightest prospects this year. Smart Gilas’s Greg Slaughter, Ateneo high school standout Kiefer Ravena, Cebuano star Mark Jayven Tallo and former RP Youth mainstay Gwyne Capacio will don the Eagles’ jerseys in the coming UAAP season as the Loyola-based squad tries to annex the league’s first four-peat since the University of Santo Tomas Tigers did the feat in the 90s.
The seven-foot Slaughter, who steered University of Visayas to four Cebu collegiate league crowns from 2006 before being tapped for the national team, will provide muscle underneath following the departure of now pros Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Noy Baclao.
Ravena, who powered the Eaglets to three UAAP juniors crowns, Tallo, the Jr. NBA MVP and spearhead of Cebu Institute of Technology in the Cebu leagues, and Capacio, a former La Salle high school stalwart, are expected to more than fill up the slack left by skipper Eric Salamat, who has graduated.
“We’ve got talented recruits for the coming season,” said Ateneo coach Norman Black in yesterday’s Scoop sa Kamayan Padre Faura. “We’ve got Greg Slaughter who will man the middle for us the way Rabeh (Al-Hussaini) and Noy Baclao did during their time.
“We also have guys like Kiefer Ravena, who everybody knows how talented he is, Mark Tallo and Gwyne Capacio to help fill in the void left by Eric Salamat,” he added.
Aside from these blue-chip recruits, Ateneo also took in Von Pessumal and Ael Banal from its high school squad while Oping Sumalinog, who missed last season due to a knee injury, is expected to be back this year.
Black said the Eagles are now in the thick of preparations and should reach top form at the start of the summer leagues, including the Fr. Martin Cup and the Fil-Oil/Flying V pre-season tournament.
“We’re now training six days a week now as we prepare for a pair of tournaments in the summer and we’re looking forward to another training trip in the United States this May,” said Black.
Slaughter, Ravena, Tallo, Capacio, Pessumal, Banal and Sumalinog have actually joined the team’s practices alongside Nico Salva, Eman Monfort and co-captains Bacon Austria and Kirk Long.
Ryan Buenafe has been excused from practices to concentrate on his studies.
Joey Villar, Philippine Star
