MANILA, Philippines – With multi-titled coach Tab Baldwin at the helm, don’t count the young Ateneo Blue Eagles out just yet in UAAP Season 87.
In stark contrast to his first seven seasons as the Ateneo head coach, Baldwin and the Blue Eagles head into the new season with low expectations after losing several key players, most notably Mason Amos, who transferred to their rival La Salle Green Archers back in July.
The Blue Eagles also suffered a huge blow just days before their Season 87 campaign as sophomore guard Lebron Nieto tore his left ACL in a recent tuneup game.
But for Baldwin — who steered Ateneo to four UAAP titles and six finals appearances in the past seven seasons — the goal remains the same, no matter if his team is considered the underdog or the team to beat.
“I don’t really look at things that way… the goal is just to win more than you lose,” said Baldwin of the Blue Eagles’ underdog status during the UAAP press conference.
“That’s never going to change for me, that’s the way it is, and that’s the way I approach it with the players.”
Having coached several successful Ateneo teams in the past that featured the likes of Thirdy Ravena and Ange Kouame, Baldwin sees something special in this year’s group of Blue Eagles.
“Of all the teams I’ve had, this is probably the hungriest team I’ve seen,” said Baldwin of the rookie-laden Blue Eagles.
“I think that’s because of so much talk about them being underdogs and this is a rebuilding year.”
“There’s a sort of a generic lack of respect for this team,” he added.
With the departure of their Season 86 standouts Amos, Kai Ballungay, Jared Brown, and Joseph Obasa, senior guard Chris Koon is expected to lead the charge for the Blue and White this season, along with holdovers Sean Quitevis, Ian Espinosa, Andrew Bongo, and Josh Lazaro, among others.
All eyes will also be on Ateneo’s prized rookies Jared Bahay and Kristian Porter, as well as new foreign student-athlete Victor Balogun.
“With their youth, they’re going to have good patches and bad patches, and we want to grow as the season goes along,” said Baldwin.
“But who knows, maybe they’ll come out of the gates flying or maybe they’ll come out flat. That’s the problem with young teams.”
A tough opening week awaits the Blue Eagles as they face their Katipunan rival UP Fighting Maroons in the Season 87 opener on Saturday, September 7.
Ateneo will then take on former Ateneo standout Forthsky Padrigao and the UST Growling Tigers on Wednesday, September 11, before a highly anticipated clash with the defending champion Green Archers on Sunday, September 15. – Rappler.com