If their 2018 campaign was tough, the Ateneo Blue Eagles are in for a ride in their build-up to the UAAP Season 82 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Last year, the Blue Eagles went across the world to prepare for their title defense. This included their annual trip to Baler; a training camp in Greece; and a stint in the 2019 Jones Cup in Taiwan. Moreover, they joined every pre-season tournament possible to gain more games.
This time around, Ateneo begin their quest for a third-straight UAAP crown with the PBA D-League – the first batch of Blue Eagles to do so. And it will also serve as a double-purpose for the likes of fifth-year Blue Eagles Thirdy Ravena, Isaac Go, and the Nieto twins.
“This is going to be very special since it’s the start of my final year,” Ravena expressed. “Besides the goal of winning, me and my fellow seniors have this chance of serving our residency before we enter the draft.
“Very grateful to Ateneo for allowing us to join.”
The Blue Eagles, with Cignal as a backer, are seen as the clear-cut favorites to win the tournament. But Ateneo have to scrape past the likes of fellow collegiate squads St. Clare Saints, Go-for-Gold-CSB, Ironcon-UST, Petron-Letran, and Batangas-EAC. Adding to the killer group are FamilyMart-Enderun, AMA Online Education, McDavid, and last year’s runner-up Che’Lu Bar and Grill. And the last two squads are stacked with ex-pros.
Now, they are bracing for the unexpected.
“I really have no idea. First time to play there.
“But we expect tough competition facing ex-PBA players or players about to go there. It’s a good place to see where I am physically and as a team, to see what we can work on,” chimed in Go.
For Baldwin, the D-League is a necessary step to unleash the potential of each Blue Eagle.
“This time of the year is for the individual development of our players, and we want to focus on how we’re playing as a team. We’re doing that for experience, to get some team activity, but the primary goal is individual development,” the seasoned tactician shared.
“We’re trying to develop PBA players and Gilas players here.”
Ateneo-Cignal begin their campaign on opening day when they face the Go for Gold-CSB Scratchers.
