MANILA, Philippines – Every time Rabeh Al-Hussaini gets complimented for his remarkable collegiate career, the star Ateneo center quickly throws the credit back to coach Norman Black.

But as much as their productive partnership resulted in back-to-back UAAP crowns, both agree that theirs is not a perfect relationship.

“Let’s face it, Rabeh and I have gone through a lot,” said Black. “We’ve stayed on the court hours after every practice working out one-on-one for five years now. We’ve bumped heads, but we’ve been able to make it. We’ve been able to work together and become successful.”

It’s a success that was again in full display in the do-or-die Game 3 of the men’s basketball Finals with the 6-foot-6 Al-Hussaini burying 21 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in the Blue Eagles’ 71-58 rout of the University of the East Warriors last Thursday.

And Al-Hussaini, the 2008 Most Valuable Player, again emerged as the league’s best performer by capturing the Finals MVP for averaging 22.3 points and 11.7 rebounds in the series.

“If it’s not for coach Norman, I won’t achieve everything that I have now,” said Al-Hussaini after playing his final game for the Eagles. “There were times before when I don’t listen to him. But eventually I realized that I just have to trust everything that he says.”

Black, also a grand slam coach in the PBA, said it took a while to tame a temperamental player like Al-Hussaini.

“I always talk to Rabeh more about his attitude than his basketball skills,” said Black. “He has the skills, there’s no question about that and he likes to work hard. He does not mind putting in the extra hours to make himself better. I just want him to stay cool-headed, not to get upset all the time on the court and retaliate on the players when they hit him. I wanted him to just stay focused on what he’s doing.”

And this tight player-coach relationship turned out to be a pivotal factor in the Blue Eagles’ success for two straight years.

“Luckily, everything paid off,” said the 21-year-old Al-Hussaini. “All our hard work in practice paid off.”

“This is really sweet for me,” said Black of his second title since taking over the Eagles in 2005. “When you look back at my stay in Ateneo, everything pretty much started with the three guys who are graduating this year – Rabeh, Noy [Baclao] and Jai [Reyes]. They’re the three guys who’ve been with me since they’ve been in college. The entire focus was to dedicate the championship to them.”