(Editor’s Note: This is the first article in a series dedicated to 2016 throwbacks, a theme currently trending across social media. Only for this series, we will be revisiting defining moments that shaped sports in the year 2016. Click HERE for our first throwback. The second one’s HERE.)
UAAP Season 79 men’s basketball, which the La Salle Green Archers won convincingly, was never supposed to look the way it did.
It was loud. It was frantic. It was polarizing. And by the time the season ended in 2016, it became clear that the league had just witnessed a turning point—not just a championship, but the birth of a completely new identity in collegiate basketball.
Aldin Ayo’s Disruption
Fresh off his success in the NCAA with the Letran Knights, rookie UAAP coach Aldin Ayo made the bold jump to La Salle—and immediately changed the league’s rhythm.
Anchored by Jeron Teng and Ben Mbala, Ayo unleashed his trademark “mayhem basketball” on the UAAP: relentless full-court pressure, deep and fearless rotations, aggressive traps, and a tempo designed to exhaust opponents mentally and physically.
Even the most disciplined teams struggled to keep up—especially La Salle’s fiercest rivals, the Ateneo Blue Eagles.
A Finals That Redefined the Blueprint
The best-of-three finals between La Salle and Ateneo did not hinge on elegance or overwhelming star power. Instead, the Green Archers won the series in a manner that felt definitive rather than dominant.
In both games, La Salle dictated the tempo early, setting the emotional and physical tone from the opening quarter. It wasn’t about highlight plays—it was about sustaining pressure, winning loose balls, and refusing to yield control.
That classic finals clash between two historic rivals introduced a new blueprint in the UAAP: effort over elegance, pressure over patience.
Jeron Teng’s Final Stand
For Jeron Teng, Season 79 was personal.
After winning a championship as a sophomore, this final season became his last opportunity to cement his legacy in green and white. And he made sure it ended on his terms.
All season long, Teng attacked the rim with purpose, absorbed contact, and set the emotional pulse for a team built on grit. In Game Two of the finals, he delivered his defining moment—scoring a game-high 28 points to close his collegiate career with another championship banner.
It wasn’t just a performance. It was a statement.
Where Are They Now?
The ripple effects of UAAP Season 79 are still being felt today. Jeron Teng and Andrei Caracut, another vital cog in La Salle’s dominant run, both turned pro and are now solid players in the PBA. Teng now suits up for the San Miguel Beermen, while Caracut plays for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. Ricci Rivero—yes, that Ricci Rivero—transferred to the UP Fighting Maroons before taking his talents to the PBA, where he now plays for the Phoenix Fuel Masters. Justine Baltazar, Thomas Torres, Brent Paraiso, Jason Perkins, Aljun Melecio, Prince Rivero, and Abu Tratter, all of whom were part of that loaded La Salle squad, also moved on to the pro ranks.
For Ateneo, twins Mike Nieto and Matt Nieto both found homes in the PBA—Mike with the TNT Tropang 5G, and Matt with the NLEX Road Warriors. Anton Asistio joined the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, while Isaac Go now plays for Barangay Ginebra San Miguel. Aaron Black, Shaun Ildefonso, Kris Porter, and Raffy Verano, who played for the Blue Eagles that season, made it to the PBA as well, with all still active. Another Ateneo guard, Adrian Wong, played in the PBA for a few years but has since taken a sabbatical.
Thirdy Ravena, Ateneo’s undisputed main man, took his talents overseas, most recently playing for Dubai Basketball in the ABA League.
Legacy of Season 79
UAAP Season 79 will always be remembered as the year chaos became a system, courage became a strategy, and a new power rose in collegiate basketball.
It wasn’t just La Salle winning a title. It was the UAAP learning how fast—and how unforgiving—the game could become.
