Tab Baldwin tipped his hat to De La Salle University’s 1-2 punch of Kevin Quiambao and Evan Nelle after the Green Archers’ 72-69 escape over the Ateneo Blue Eagles on Saturday evening.
Baldwin and the rest of Ateneo’s coaching staff devised a plan to make the duo’s life in the rivalry game the hardest.
But still, the MVP frontrunner put up 14 points, nine rebounds, six assists, a steal, and a block. All in all, he was a plus-seven on his 36 minutes and 49 seconds on the floor.
The graduating point guard, for his part, produced 10 points, six assists, and five rebounds including some crucial makes from the field and the line.
“All my players were motivated to play today, and that’s a tough scenario for guys like Evan and KQ, when I guess going all the way back to the preseason press conference when Nash talked about the hunted and the hunter,” shared Baldwin after the classic that happened in front of 14,900 fans.
“Evan and KQ they were the hunted today. We were gonna make their life miserable no matter what and I thought they both did a really good job staying composed and making some big plays.”
In the crucial third quarter where the Green Archers turned the momentum on their side, rookie Mason Amos needed to guard Quiambao in some parts — but got burned.
Baldwin acknowledged that the 19-year-old rookie from Australia still has a lot of work to do to be consistent, especially on the defensive end.
Amos finished with 10 points and was a plus-11 on his 12 minutes and 32 seconds on the court.
“Mason’s got to improve defensively, that’s just the fact,” shared the American-Kiwi coach.
“But when he puts his mind to it, when he plays intelligently he can compensate for some areas where he isn’t athletically up to the standard. Mason has size, he has some strength, and when he plays intelligent and smart basketball then he can be a decent defender.”
Baldwin also noted that grind-out battles like this will help the growth and maturity of Amos, who entered the league as one of the highly-touted first-year players.
And when Amos and his other seven rookies time come, Baldwin hopes that they can be as calm and composed just like Quiambao and Nelle.
“We’ve got guys that hopefully Mason being one will learn from these experiences and when their turn comes down the road, they’ll be the guys making the big plays.”
