Back-to-back wins ease pressure on Ateneo

Ateneo and Tab Baldwin are in an unfamiliar setting for the UAAP men’s basketball tournament.

The Blue Eagles have been a consistent title threat under Baldwin since 2016 and have never missed the Final Four in that time. But now, more than ever, Ateneo is struggling to continue that thread.

Article continues after this ad

“Nobody’s going to hide the fact that it was a horribly difficult first round,” Baldwin said after the fight looked like it was going to be cut short early at 1-6. “Not all of our plays were terrible, but you don’t want to not focus on the result. So we try not to focus solely on the result.”

However, the Eagles were able to show some good results in the second round after defeating University of Santo Tomas (UST) 67-64 and forging their first winning streak of 87 seasons last weekend.

But with Ateneo tied for fifth with 3-6 and the Growling Tigers tied for fourth with 4-6, will it be enough to put them in Final Four discussions?

Article continues after this ad

“It takes some of the pressure off. It relieves the situation a little bit,” Baldwin said.

Ateneo’s quest for a third consecutive championship will be even more difficult. Instead of trying to get that triple crown Wednesday against Adamson, the Eagles will have to do it Saturday against power rival La Salle. Wednesday’s game, which also pits the University of the Philippines against Eastern University, was rescheduled due to inclement weather.

“We’re really trying to develop a lot of young players, a lot of guys who don’t have a lot of experience,” Baldwin said. “This group of players had to replace a lot of players who were expected to be here this season. It has to be about [the] growth [of the young ones]. No one likes handing over results to others. ”

lose the core

Ateneo effectively lost its core after last season, with eight players injured or sidelined, before the biggest shock came when Mason Amos decided to play against arch-rival La Salle.

And Baldwin, the perfectionist, is learning to celebrate the small improvements his crew has shown this season.

“I always feel happy when I get results. In any other year, I would have been very cautious about enjoying the results because I would have been focused on higher goals,” he explained. I did.

“This year, even if the results come out, I don’t want to be all happy or depressed.”

Ateneo defeated Adamson 60-51 in the first round, ending the Eagles’ 0-3 start, their worst under the Baldwin regime and their worst record in the past 11 seasons.

The Eagles have a chance to beat the Falcons and complete the season, but the Falcons enter this tournament still licking their wounds from last week’s 70-45 gut punch at defending champion La Salle.

“They deserve to enjoy themselves, because believe me, the focus will actually be on maturing, evolving and developing again with the aim of winning more matches,” he said. “But more importantly, it’s a season for our players to prepare for their future at Ateneo, for whatever future they have in basketball.” INQ