Ateneo de Manila University’s 0-3 start in the UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament is their worst in the eight-year Tab Baldwin era.
Given this shaky beginning, is it time for Ateneo’s faithful to panic and press the emergency button?
Not yet, according to the decorated tactician.
Even after the Blue Eagles collapsed in the third quarter and suffered a 74-61 loss to archrival De La Salle University, Baldwin remains steadfast.
For Baldwin, the growing pains of this young and revamped Ateneo squad are part of the process, something he believes will pay off in the long run.
“You have to be patient with the process. You invest too much time into something; you will pay dividends, but you just don’t know when it will pay dividends,” the 66-year-old American-Kiwi mentor shared.
While fans may be quick to judge the Blue Eagles based on the scoreboard, their second-half meltdown, and their 0-3 record, the former Gilas Pilipinas head coach takes pride in their fight until the final buzzer.
Despite being held to just four points in the third quarter, Ateneo rallied late, outscoring the Green Archers 17-15 in the final period.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“I was proud of the guys that they rallied in the fourth and didn’t let it get away to something embarrassing… You were able to get back from 20, and you get where it was in the end. That’s what we want. So there’s positives to take away from this,” the four-time UAAP champion head coach said.
Baldwin also stressed the need for patience, while urging his young players to consistently deliver, especially on offense.
Ateneo’s core – Josh Lazaro, Drew Bongo, Shawn Tuano, Kristian Porter, Jared Bahay, and Sean Quitevis – has shown glimpses of their potential.
However, Baldwin believes that their consistency will be key in the hunt for their first win of the season.
“Until these guys start being consistent, it’s going to be tough on Jared because the defenses are going to focus on him. They know his skill set. Until other players take some of the defensive attention off Jared, it’s going to cause problems for our entire offense,” Baldwin explained.
Despite the tough start, Baldwin remains confident in Ateneo’s ability to turn the season around.
The Blue Eagles faced a challenging schedule early on, squaring off against last season’s finalists, La Salle and UP, as well as Final Four dark horse contender UST.
“We just got to get the win-loss record on the rails now… It just doesn’t look very good right now, it’s awful at 0-3, but you know we just believe that now we’ve got that stretch of the schedule out of the way.”
