Having armed themselves with a twice-to-beat advantage after beating the University of the East Red Warriors on Saturday afternoon, all Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin wanted to talk about was how his team was focused with the mission they had.
“We’re happy to get this win under our belt. Every game is a step forward for our team. We talked this week only about this game. We wanted to focus on playing this game well,” the second-year Blue Eagles tactician said.
All throughout the season so far, the Ateneo coaching staff has repeatedly preached that every game is different and the result of that game will depend on how their practices go.
“It’s important that we believe that… What’s most important for us is the quality of performance. We think that if we perform well, the results will take care of themselves.”
Though they sport a perfect 11-0 record, the 59-year-old mentor still sees flaws in his team’s execution. For one, what has irked Baldwin in numerous occasions is the Blue Eagles’ high turnover rate.
And even if Ateneo are just three games away from an elimination round sweep, Baldwin continues to remind his wards that every game is a different story and that the goal of every game is to find something to improve.
“I don’t care if we’re one win away from a sweep or 500 wins away from a sweep.
“The only game that matters is UST. And before that, the only thing that matters is practice on Monday. We don’t look past that,” said Baldwin.
Safe to say, Baldwin’s quest for perfection is not about having a 14-0 slate. The perfection he is looking for is about how the Blue Eagles execute on the floor.
