When Ateneo started to participate in intercollegiate sports in 1914, its varsity basketball teams were simply referred to by the school community as the Ateneo Seniors and Ateneo Juniors. They were later dubbed the "Blue and Whites" by the sports press in the early 1920s when Ateneo joined sports leagues. When Ateneo adopted the "Eagle" as its mascot in 1938, the college team was given a new name: Blue Eagles. The Ateneo Blue Eagles are sometimes called the "Hail Mary Quintet" by the sports press. This moniker was given to the Blue Eagles in 1926 when the sports press reporters noticed that the team would pray the Hail Mary during game time-outs and would win by the skin of their teeth.