Even — or especially — in this time of pandemic, we get tired of many things.
We get tired of too many negative vibes that we don’t usually notice during the ‘old’ normal because we’re preoccupied with our usual daily routine of work or study, thus giving us little time to focus on such.
The lockdown period brought by this pandemic gave most of the people time to be more critical and scrutinizing of the things happening around them.
A few weeks ago, Gilas Pilipinas program director and Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin was subject to an onslaught of criticism over his remarks in the Coaches Unfiltered Podcast. He has since apologized, and has been fined by the Philippine Basketball Association. He has also been removed from his assistant coaching job in the pro league, although TNT has stated this decision was made prior to the COVID-19 lockdown.
On the other hand, SBP Executive Director Sonny Barrios has also assured the public during the recent PSA forum that Baldwin will remain as Gilas project director. For the majority of ordinary Filipino basketball lovers, this is a welcome development. But others who would prefer maintaining the “status quo” would call it bad news, and still, others have branded news about Coach Tab as tiresome.
I, however, will not get tired of Coach Tab Baldwin. I will not get tired of talking about him because of these principles:
Honesty
We cannot be completely globally competitive if we are not honest.
The assessment of the progress of Philippine basketball — or the lack of it at the moment — must be grounded in honesty. Call a spade a spade.
It is the same in the classroom: a teacher must be honest in pointing out to the student what is wrong and teach him what has to be done to fix the situation to eventually lead that student to a good result. We cannot be competitive if we remain in the myth that we are the standard in Asia.
The truth is that we have a lot of catching up to do, and Coach Tab is doing a good job pointing us in a good direction that hinges on long-term development.
Kindness
Maybe the person who says they are tired of Tab Baldwin does not know the man, but in truth, he is one of the kindest I’ve known.
He is very down-to-earth when you engage in a conversation with him, and I think those who already had an encounter with him will also vouch for the kindness of the man.
You can only throw judgments when you are far, but you will only see the real thing up close.
Sincerity
As a basketball-loving Filipino, I believe that his statements during the Coaches Unfiltered Podcast — especially on the subject of tactical maturity of Filipino Coaches — are grounded in sincerity.
His honesty is brought by his sincerity — a sincere desire to rock the status quo that feeds on mediocrity and exclusivity, which has dragged down the progress of Philippine Basketball. That statement has rocked the boat because many coaching groups are now and should be engaged in developing their craft through webinars and other online developmental engagements.
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I will never get tired of Coach Tab Baldwin because standing for Honesty, Kindness, and Sincerity will never, ever be tiresome. What is tiresome is being toxic, negative, and judgmental — especially from afar.
I will continue to stand for Coach Tab Baldwin.
