By: Miguel Caramoan
After months of uncertainty surrounding his future — not just at Ateneo de Manila University but in the Philippines as a whole — Tab Baldwin finally got the security he needed.
Just hours before the Blue Eagles’ UAAP Season 88 debut against Far Eastern University on Saturday, Baldwin signed a three-year extension to coach Ateneo, covering UAAP Seasons 89 to 91.
The American-Kiwi head coach admitted that the prolonged negotiations with both the school and team patron Manny V. Pangilinan had caused sleepless nights and him exploring the market.
“I guess the process ended today. It wasn’t really a process. It was maybe a process for Ateneo and MVP (Manny V. Pangilinan) to come to the point where they wanted to take this step,” expressed Baldwin, a World Cup-level coach.
“For me, it was a period of uncertainty over most of the year this year. For a coach, that elicits two responses. One is, you should be used to it if you’re a coach, that you’ve been around as long as I have,” he shared.
“The other is, you don’t like it. It’s not fun to be uncertain about your future, but we put all that to bed today. I can’t express enough my gratitude to the Ateneo and to Boss MVP for the confidence in me, and not just me, Epok Quimpo, who’s very much a part of how our organization runs, and the entire coaching staff.”
Baldwin has been at Ateneo since UAAP Season 79. During his tenure, he led the Blue Eagles to four UAAP championships, including a flawless 16-0 sweep in Season 82 and a remarkable rebound title in Season 85.
However, the past two seasons have been challenging. After finishing fourth in UAAP Season 86, Baldwin saw one of his top recruits, Mason Amos, leave for La Salle.
The Blue Eagles’ Season 87 campaign ended disastrously, with just three wins — the worst finish in recent university history.
With his new contract secured, Baldwin can now fully focus on rebuilding the Blue Eagles back into contender status.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“At the end of the day, this is where I wanted to be, at the end of the day, this a great offer to continue the work with the same people.
“You know, if I haven’t said thank you to God, and thank you for the opportunity to continue to work at a Catholic university, and continue to work in an environment where we truly do reinforce values. We truly do believe, and I don’t know how you can make an emphasis on the word truly, but we truly do believe in the concept of a student athlete at Ateneo. I’m very privileged, very honored, and when I say my prayers tonight, I will thank God,” he shared.
“Because I also know that over the last 10 years I’ve grown as a person, and now the opportunity to do the work that really we should be doing at our university is not just developing players, but developing people. Now, I’m a better person to be able to do that work, so I think that covers everything,” he aded.
Back to work he went, just hours after signing the extension, as the Blue Eagles faced the Tamaraws, who were led by JR Pasaol.
The game showed that Baldwin was not solely focused on Ateneo’s highly touted one-and-done recruits.
Instead, the Blue Eagles leaned on guard Jared Bahay, who delivered a standout performance.
The second-year guard from Cebu posted 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists, including two clutch triples in the final moments, securing an 86-83 victory.
With one game down, Baldwin and the Blue Eagles are already looking ahead.
“If we want to be there slugging it out with the top teams at the end and not just showing up to be at the party, then we’ve got to learn, and we’ve got to learn fast. We’ve got to grow up, and we still have young players. But they’re talented players,” he said.
“I’m excited about them. But I can’t wait to get in the dugout and tear some strips off of them right now.”
