Inside the Green Mind

Tony Atayde, popularly known for his blog alias, The Green Mind, has been a regular fixture in La Salle basketball games over the past few decades. Usually seen sitting on the premiere seats closest to the court alongside fellow famous DLSU alumni or De La Salle Brothers, Tony Atayde is indeed considered a die-hard La Salle supporter.

Atayde has had only one school during his entire life – La Salle. This is why he states that supporting La Salle is not difficult at all for him. He also emphasizes that true Lasallians support the team unconditionally and that there are many ways to support them. Some support the team financially, some attend the games, and some actively participate in the events. Atayde explains that it is not hard to support La Salle because it is contagious.

Cream of the crop

Atayde was already been an active supporter even back in the days when La Salle was still playing in the NCAA. From the likes of Lim Eng Beng to Ren Ren Ritualo to Jeron Teng, Atayde has seen it all.

He says he has three favorite teams, namely the 1971, 1974, and the 2007 editions of the DLSU Green Archers.

The 1971 Green Archers were the team led by the immortal DLSU legend, Lim Eng Beng, who played alongside Mike Bilbao, Julie Lim, Doy Escober, and Dindo Guevarra. This bunch gave DLSU its first NCAA championship after a 14-year drought and put La Salle back on the map as championship contenders.

The 1974 championship team was highlighted by the stellar play once again of Lim Eng Beng. This was the year where he set several NCAA records that still hold today, such as the highest points per game average of 32 and the scoring record for the seniors division– where he recorded 55 points in a single game. To make the feat even more spectacular, this was done all in the time when there was still no three point line.

The 2007 team was a team that had heart, according to Atayde. There were no big names in that team unlike the previous championship teams. It was also coming from a year where DLSU received bad publicity due to the suspension in 2006. La Salle beat the odds though and came back with a vengeance, winning the championship by sweeping a previously undefeated UE team in the finals.

Atayde also noted that Ritualo’s four-peat teams were the most dominant La Salle teams that he has ever witnessed. During that era, key players would graduate every year and a new batch of rookies would enter, yet they would still dominate the UAAP.

Generation gap

Atayde also explained how different the crowd of this generation is compared to his era. This generations’ crowd is much more civilized and peaceful compared to the crowd back in his college years. Back then, there would always be fights outside the arena after games. Players were not allowed to be friends with players from other schools because the rivalry was so intense. Today, after a La Salle-Ateneo game, one could see people outside shaking hands and star players from opposing schools becoming good friends.

He says part of this was influenced by society back then. In his generations’ society, violence and rebellion was the norm. Drugs also played a role since it was a normal part of life back in the 1970’s. Atayde also mentioned the fact that during his time, DLSU was an all-boys school. Boys are naturally rowdy, so when the girls came, the boys started to behave more, and the culture in La Salle changed even in sports.

Basketball team

According to Atayde, playing for La Salle is very difficult because the community expects them to win every game. This mentality was established because fans got used to the culture of winning in DLSU. This years’ team is still a work in progress and although he says that the Lasallian community can expect them to pull off some surprises this season.

He explains that fans put too much pressure on the team and some even lambast them after a loss. If the fans feel bad about losing, the team feels worse. Lasallians should all support the team, win or lose. Although Atayde understands that it is hard to support the team when they are losing, it is the fans’ job to help them rise up and give them the motivation to win.

“That’s when Animo kicks in,” explains Atayde.

Beyond basketball

Atayde states that support from the fans should not be limited to the basketball team. He explains that it is harder to win if nobody is watching and nobody supports the team. All the varsity teams last year performed excellently which helped La Salle bag its first ever UAAP General Championship.

The epitome of leadership, according to the Green Mind, is not found in the basketball team. The ideal leader is Lady Spiker Abby Marano because she wills her team to win. He adds that many student athletes should learn that from her. Another underrated athlete, according to Atayde, is Johansen Aguilar, a two-time UAAP swimming MVP and the holder of several national records. Aguilar also won seven gold medals during the 74th season of the UAAP, but very few people acknowledge him because he is not in the basketball team.

Support for La Salle is not limited to basketball or even just sports. Supporting La Salle should be about supporting the entire community, and Atayde may be the epitome of that. “There is so much to support in La Salle because there are so many stories,” Atayde ends.