Entering the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament, Ateneo de Manila University carried high expectations on its wings, fueled by the arrival of three standout one-and-done recruits: Kymani Ladi, Dominic Escobar, and Jaden Lazo.
The trio promised instant firepower and a chance to reclaim Ateneo’s dominance in men’s basketball. And early on, the strategy appeared to work.
The Blue Eagles stormed to four straight wins, silencing skeptics who argued that relying on one-and-done players might stifle the growth of homegrown talent.
But just as quickly as the magic started, it faded.
Despite the contributions of Ladi, Escobar, and Lazo in their lone UAAP season, Ateneo fell short of reaching the Final Four.
This marked only the second time in the Final Four era that the program missed the postseason in consecutive campaigns.
Still, head coach Tab Baldwin emphasized that Ateneo will not stray from its recruitment philosophy.
The Blue Eagles will continue building their roster based on team needs, whether that means adding another one-and-done player, a promising high school freshman, or a foreign student-athlete.
“We’re gonna recruit to needs and our recruiting will be across the gamut of all potential recruiting scenarios. So will we pursue players that are one-and-done? Yes, if we think they’re the right character and if we think there’s a need in the team for that, absolutely,” Baldwin told reporters after the Blue Eagles’ second-round loss to archrival De La Salle University Green Archers at the SMART Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
“Are we excited about the prospect of recruiting young freshmen incoming players that we believe are going to contribute over the long term? Absolutely. Are we in the market for a transfer? Why not, if the player could be a good Atenean and if the player is the type of person and student who believes they would be better off in Ateneo.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Even as Ateneo remains committed to its recruitment blueprint aimed at snapping its two-year Final Four drought, Baldwin was firm on one principle: the Blue Eagles will not actively pursue players from other UAAP programs.
The trend of transferring student-athletes has grown in recent years. Mason Amos moved from Ateneo to La Salle, Kean Baclaan shifted from National University to La Salle, while Veejay Pre transferred from Far Eastern University to UP. Meanwhile, Rey Remogat and Rainier Maga moved from UE to the Fighting Maroons.
However, should a student-athlete approach Baldwin seeking a fresh start, the 67-year-old coach said the program will consider the situation carefully, weighing the welfare of both the player and the team.
“Will I pursue transfers? Never. You can put that in capital letters.
“But if somebody comes knocking on my door, we will look at their situation in terms of the welfare for that player and the welfare for our program. There are probably other scenarios. Will we recruit Fil-Foreign players? Sure, we will. So our team will continue to be, you know, a potpourri of players that come out of various recruiting scenarios,” Baldwin said.
As Ateneo closes the book on a Season 88 campaign full of highs, lows, and hard lessons, Baldwin’s message is clear. The program will focus on developing returning players while staying true to a recruitment philosophy grounded in need, character, and potential.
“It’s always tough to part with your graduating players, but I just have so much respect for these guys, and I’m gonna miss them. We’re going to miss them,” Baldwin remarked.
“But we have to move forward, and the looking-ahead part is for our returning players and the lessons of this season — a very difficult season, a year that had a lot of rewards and a season that had a lot of extremely difficult moments,” he went on.
“As a coach, when you preach performance and not results, I can honestly say that we had performances that genuinely should have given us results, and for whatever reason they didn’t — certainly partly us, sometimes not — and that’s very frustrating. But that season is done now, and the lessons that we have to face, we will face them with the fierce determination that we grow and improve from those lessons.”
