THE road has been difficult for the reigning and defending UAAP Men’s Basketball champions, Ateneo De Manila University Blue Eagles, as they continue to battle to win consistently this Season 86.
Photo Courtesy: UAAP Media Group
The competition has been an unstable journey for the Katipunan-based squad. Currently, the squad is tied for fourth place with the Adamson Soaring Falcons, who have a 4-5 record.
They’ve had hopeful moments, such as first-round victory against rivals De La Salle University and the University of the Philippines, but they’ve also suffered important setbacks against Far Eastern University (twice) and Adamson.
Despite having a new look this season, the Blue Eagles are still widely expected to win the championship. However, head coach Tab Baldwin noted before the season began that the team is quite youthful when compared to their opponents.
Photo Courtesy: UAAP Media Group
“We are characterized more than anything else by our youth right now and that’s not a great way to go into a season,” he went on to say. Despite having a young core, Baldwin remained positive, knowing that this is another opportunity to develop his players who will, if not this season, win a championship in the years to come.
However, according to Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin, the inconsistency is due not just to the youthful Blue Eagles’ lack of experience, but also to a lack of “playing chemistry” that was badly exposed by UP during the ‘Battle of Katipunan’ in the second round.
“I think the biggest weakness of our team is that they don’t have playing chemistry [yet],” Baldwin remarked after Ateneo’s second-round loss to UP. “Playing chemistry is not just like, “We like to play together.” It’s having a collective understanding of where your efficiencies are.”
“That’s what chemistry in a basketball team needs, and that’s [still] a work in progress for us.” However, Baldwin understands that the Ateneans have little to no room for error if they are to go to the Final Four and defend their title.
While Baldwin has seen gradual improvement from his team, what he really wants is for Ateneo to go over the hump and hit their peak as the elimination round comes to a close.
“They all learn, and we certainly talked about that, but more importantly, we talked about how proud I am of the effort they put out there,” Baldwin said.
“They stood toe to toe with a really, really good basketball team. We had a chance, so, this season has had a lot of that for us. We’ve come out on the short end too many times. How many times can I say growth? But you know, it’s what this team is learning.”
At 4 p.m. today, the Ateneo Blue Eagles will meet the tenacious National University Bulldogs, who are currently ranked second in the league rankings despite suffering numerous injuries.
The Adamson Soaring Falcons will meet the faltering UST Growling Tigers, 2 p.m., in the first game of Saturday’s double header at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.
