Ateneo de Manila University head coach Tab Baldwin thinks his squad is not yet UAAP-ready despite winning both the Pinoyliga Collegiate Cup and the Bola.TV AsiaBasket Las Piñas Championship in the off-season.
“We have a lot of work to do. We’re not, I think, UAAP-ready yet,” Baldwin said.
The reigning UAAP Champions lost a number of key players who were vital in their title run in Season 85, particularly Mythical Five members Dave Ildefonso, who is already playing professional basketball for Suwon KT in the KBL, and Forthsky Padrigao, who will be unable to play for Season 86 due to being put under academic probation.
Meanwhile, team captain BJ Andrade and Season 85 Finals MVP Ange Kouame have already graduated.
Baldwin said that he is looking forward to the upcoming preseason tournaments ahead of Ateneo before Season 86 starts.
“Time’s starting to run short, so we’re looking forward to Davao and testing ourselves against probably a little tougher competition,” he said.
Ateneo will compete in the Kadayawan 2023 Invitational Basketball Tournament to be held at the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) Gym in Davao City on August 3-6, where they will be joined by fellow UAAP squads De La Salle University and Adamson University.
Completing the cast are San Beda University, College of Saint Benilde, and Jose Maria College Foundation.
After the Davao tournament, the Blue Eagles will then begin their title retention bid from August 10-13 at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, as they tighten up their preparations for the upcoming UAAP Season.
It is in these tournaments that Baldwin wants to see more teeth from the Blue Eagles, especially on the defensive end.
“Individuals need to get better, particularly defensively. I think we still have some holes in our defense that I don’t like,” said Baldwin in his assessment of Ateneo’s performance in AsiaBasket.
“Some players need to really step up and pay more attention on the defensive end and the fundamentals of how we play defense,” he added.
When asked about his expectations for the team, the decorated tactician also mentioned that he does not settle for expectations, as he believes more in progress on his team’s discipline and training.
“I don’t live in the world of expectations. We just have to keep doing our job, play every game on its merits, and try to become professional in everything we do. Hopefully, the results will fall our way,” he said. (Jose Gabriel Ignacio)
