Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin sees no reason to dwell on his biggest loss in the UAAP, as the Blue Eagles still have much to focus on in their final three games of the Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Ateneo suffered a 75-47 defeat to the University of the Philippines on Wednesday night, marking the school’s worst loss in nine years—and the most significant in the Baldwin era—since a 64-88 setback to Far Eastern University in Season 78 on September 6, 2015.
“Irrelevant, that’s irrelevant,” Baldwin told reporters after the lopsided match, which dimmed the Blue Eagles’ hopes of securing a spot in the Final Four.
Baldwin, the architect of Ateneo’s resurgence in the UAAP, emphasized the importance of moving past the defeat and focusing on their upcoming games against the University of the East, Far Eastern University, and Adamson University.
“It’s a very disappointing loss. It’s a loss you have to put behind you and move forward,” said the four-time UAAP men’s basketball champion coach.
“We have three games left to make a positive impression on the season. For our players, these last three games are a chance to make a lasting impact going forward.”
The 66-year-old American-Kiwi tactician believes it’s now up to his players to decide whether they will learn from this heartbreaking loss or succumb to the pressure and let it define them.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Ateneo’s Final Four hopes are hanging by a thread, as they have dropped to seventh place with a 3-8 record.
Still, Baldwin hopes this young batch of Blue Eagles has the character needed to recover from adversity.
“You all know the story about this team. There are so many young and inexperienced players, and I just told them they have a choice now. They can work hard to end this season on a positive note and go into the offseason feeling like their development curve is headed in the right direction, or they can hang their heads and feel defeated,” said the veteran coach, reminding that Ateneo lost all of its seniors and Mason Amos during the off-season.
“That’s certainly not in our nature as coaches, and hopefully, we have the character in that dugout to rise to the challenge of adversity,” he added.
“We are a team that can respond to a tough game. We should be the kind of team and players that react positively to it, confront our demons, and emerge stronger—a better team and better individuals for facing adversity. So, that’s the challenge in front of us.”
Ateneo faces the FEU Tamaraws next on Saturday, November 9, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
