Ateneo de Cebu cagers commit to playing for the Ateneo Blue Eagles

Two top high school basketball players from Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) will be making the jump to the Ateneo Blue Eagles men’s basketball team in the UAAP.

Raffy Celis and Michael Asoro formalized their commitment to play for the team in a presser held at the SHS-AdC campus on Monday, 10 April, where they were officially welcomed by the Blue Eagles head coach and basketball program head Tab Baldwin.

"I promise you that they will add something to our program that we currently don't have," Baldwin said of Celis and Asoro. "They will give us that Cebuano toughness."

Celis, who hails from Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, was ecstatic about the offer to play for the Blue Eagles.

“Gusto ko talaga Ateneo, hindi lang basketball, but also sa life, and I want to graduate as a blue-blooded Atenean,” he said. "Blissful mi karon. Naa mi karon with my family, we are ready to start our journey in college."

The 6-foot-3 combo player had missed the Magis Eagles title-winning campaign in the last season of the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI). However, he was still able to wear the team's colors during the recent National Basketball Training Center (NBTC) National Finals alongside Asoro.

For Lapu-Lapu City native Asoro, the chance to play for the Blue Eagles is one he would not miss.

"It’s a great opportunity for me to play for Ateneo. We’re really excited to practice and play," he said. "Dream school ko po talaga ang Ateneo, gusto ko po talaga makalaro sa Ateneo. Gusto ko rin maka graduate sa Ateneo. Alam ko na hindi lang basketball yung makakatulong sa akin, pati academics din.”

Coach Baldwin explained that both had the flexibility to become great two-way players.

"As a basketball coach, they play defense and rebound the ball, Michael is a capable rebounder. But I want to develop him into a point guard. He’s obviously a great shooter, but he’s also one of the tougher perimeter defenders around making him a great fit for our program," he said.

"Raffy, everybody saw what he did in the NBTC, too many people in the Philippines and media, focus on the scoring ability," he added. "The fact they’re both two-way players, that’s what I love, that’s the provincial toughness I really admire, that we’re lacking of that in our program, we need more, it’s a great sight to welcome these guys all the way to graduating in Ateneo."

Meanwhile, Magis Eagles head coach Rommel Rasmo said he was proud of his two outgoing charges for what they’ve achieved in their young basketball careers.

"As a coach. I’m very proud sa dalawa," Rasmo, who had coached the team to multiple CESAFI championships, stated. "I hope this will be the start of something, hopefully marami pa kaming ma produce na players in the future."