With this year’s University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Men’s Basketball Tournament in full force, this weekly series will track the performance of the young and hungry Ateneo Blue Eagles as they look to rebound in the second round. 

THE ATENEO Men’s Basketball Team (AMBT) currently holds an unprecedented 1-6 win-loss record after one round of UAAP Season 87 action. The once-feared dynasty that ruled Philippine collegiate basketball with an iron fist now dreadfully finds itself in last place.

Even the Season 76 Blue Eagles, the only Ateneo team to miss the Final Four since 1999, have never fallen this low. The dismal on-court product shown this season by the Blue and White is especially shocking when considering that they are just two years removed from their last title. However, now in Season 87, it is likely possible for the Blue Eagle Band of Brothers to not only fail to reach the playoffs, but also register their worst-ever record in the Final Four era.

Near the tail end of the opening round, the Katipunan-based squad fumbled second-half leads in losses to the then-winless Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws and the streaking University of the East (UE) Red Warriors. 

Despite the Blue Eagles being in free fall, all eyes were on them to rebound against the slumping National University (NU) Bulldogs to cap off the round on a high note. Unfortunately, the Blue and White struggled to match NU’s ferocity inside the paint, leaving them with a 1-6 record after Saturday’s bout.

Now heading into round two, the Blue Eagles are at risk of leaving an unflattering dent in their otherwise long, prestigious tapestry of UAAP success. Nonetheless, Ateneo must not dwell on those implications, as doing so will only chain them to the ground below.

The only response is to take flight, with sights on overcoming the mountain of challenges straight ahead—because that is, after all, the Ateneo way.

Mercurial formula

Rav: Four-time UAAP Champion and Head Coach Tab Baldwin has recently faced rare criticism for some of his rotational and lineup decisions.

There have been moments when the tactician boldly subbed out red-hot players for extended periods of time, such as Kyle Gamber against UE and Andrew Bongo late in the third quarter against NU. Moreover, the constant rotation between Jared Bahay and Ian Espinosa as the leading man of the offense has done little to ease concerns about the team.

While it is easy to jump to conclusions and say that Baldwin has done a poor job running the team this season, the questionable substitutions may actually point toward a wider issue—Ateneo’s major identity crisis. The predicament can throw a wrench in Baldwin’s plan, as finding a lineup that fits the Blue and White may prove to be a near Sisyphean task.

Hence, Ateneo must address some of their inconsistencies on both ends of the floor, as solving this issue can help stabilize the lineups sent out in their games. I have lost count on the number of times the Blue Eagles have forgotten another aspect of their game just after addressing a specific weakness, as if they cannot hold a steady form.

For instance, Ateneo might display impressive poise at the free-throw line but stumble at defending the paint in one game, then up their interior defense but shoot poorly from the stripe in the next game.

In fact, Baldwin acknowledged this clear pitfall following last Saturday’s match. “I think we’re too much reactive to what our [opponent] brings to the game instead of having a consistent play that characterizes what kind of team we want to be.”

Right now, the only positive constant Ateneo seems to carry lies in their elite perimeter defense. The Blue Eagles currently rank second in the league in three-point field goal percentage allowed, forcing opponents to a 23.26% clip from beyond the arc.

Albeit existing amid a sea of woes, that strength alone is enough to serve as a prospective driving force in Ateneo’s development. Depending on how the Blue Eagles’ tactician strategizes in the final stretches of Season 87, the unit’s outside defense could be the catalyst for a wild miracle run to the Final Four. 

No more excuses 

Ravi: While many have pointed to the team’s youth as a reason for their failures in the season, you won’t find that excuse from the man at the helm—Head Coach Baldwin. “The temptation is to say yes, but the reality is no. There are a lot of young players playing well in the UAAP,” Baldwin stated when asked if Ateneo is hampered by their inexperience.

Frankly, I agree with the four-time UAAP champion coach as the league has seen some young teams rise to the occasion this season. Similar to Ateneo, UE lost key contributors during the offseason. However, their players have unexpectedly stepped up, making them bona fide postseason contenders. Not to mention, the Loyola Heights-based team also crumbled in clutch time against an FEU squad primarily composed of rookies.

Regarding their early offensive woes, I thought Ateneo’s players would eventually overcome the hurdles brought upon by their inexperience and unfamiliarity with each other. However, now having played seven games in Season 87, the young Blue Eagles have barely shown any signs of fully embracing the pressure of playing in UAAP games—especially in clutch time affairs.

Placing another damper on the Blue Eagles’ wings, Ateneo has yet to find the solution to their rebounding deficiencies in all their first-round matchups. Although big men Kristian Porter, Victor Balogun, and Kyle Ong are all UAAP newcomers, this does not give them nor Ateneo a pass from their poor efforts on the boards. Failing to box out, grab loose balls, and win 50-50 plays is inexcusable—especially when Ateneo’s youthful energy is one of the few clear strengths they could bank on.

Ultimately, Baldwin has fielded these very players to represent the Blue and White because they have the ability to compete at the highest level. While development takes time, the Blue Eagles need to mature and grow faster if they want a shot at salvaging the season. Only so much can be said about the team’s potential, but at the end of the day, what truly matters is getting the job done.

Poise under pressure

Luis: I have covered the Ateneo Men’s Basketball Team for the past three years. From the squad’s Season 85 redemption tour to their unfathomable 1-6 start this year, I have witnessed some of the highest and lowest points a team can experience in such a short span. However, throughout each of the last three seasons for the Blue and White, I can confidently say that one constant has remained—hope.

Around the same time last year, the principal concern when I last wrote my column was that the Blue and White were constantly being tested on their Final Four bid. There was nothing left to do but to hold out for hope, as missing out on the semis would have meant a fate last experienced in 2013, ten years ago then.

Now, with critics pointing at AMBT’s worst start in the Final Four era, the goal must be solely focused on course-correcting. However, that cannot be done without an introspective look at where the team is at right now, and there is no better place for that to come other than the man in charge of it all.

These are certainly uncommon times, but as Head Coach Baldwin stated in what was just his third post-game presser this season last Saturday, the lessons are nonstop—a philosophy built through his 43 years of coaching.

“Being a team with one win and a bunch of losses, I’ve been there before,” Baldwin said.

He shared experiences with coaching underperforming professional teams over his career, but noted one difference with Ateneo: apart from the fact that they are a collegiate squad, the team deeply cares about their performance.

For all the fans that have written them off, the Blue Eagles’ fabled tactician had one thing to say regarding the state of the team: “Our players realize that when they raise their fists for the ‘Song For Mary’ they represent the school. When our fans raise their fists, it’s not for us, it’s for the school, and we want to do that in victory.”

However, in Tab’s own words, the squad has only done that once so far. With all the losses, it “puts a different psychology of pressure on an Ateneo team,” and Baldwin could not have found a better example than the hymn’s iconic line.

“We do not want to hear the line ‘win or lose, it’s the school we choose.’ We both want the pressure, but we want to handle the pressure better, and as the season matures, that’s the area where we have to mature,” Baldwin said.

With alarm bells ringing over their worst start since records have been tracked in the Final Four era, Ateneo’s season has been without a spokesperson to drown out all the noise—until last Saturday.

In Baldwin’s rare press appearance following their sixth loss, with the word “pressure” echoing around the media room for over ten minutes, his final quote is one that ties in with my call for hope. “We have to handle the pressure of being Blue Eagles in a not-great year and we have to rise to the expectations of ourselves, our community, our league, and establish that we should be respected for the quality of play we put out on the court,” he concluded.

Whether it would be preparing the rookies for brighter seasons or mounting a potential Season 87 resurgence to send the seniors off on a high note, there will always be something ahead Ateneo. Growing pains will definitely be there, but Coach Tab is right.

His statement on wanting the pressure and handling it better should be a wake-up call to all of the Blue and White’s doubters. If you choose to view this first-round performance in a vacuum and only see one-and-six, then you are missing the point.

This team has proven time and again its ability to overcome adversity and thrive under pressure, and there has never been more pressure than there is now. The Ateneo community must hold out hope and remain patient—because as the old adage goes, pressure makes diamonds.

Next week’s games:

Sunday, October 13, 4:00 PM, vs. NU Bulldogs at the Smart Araneta Coliseum

Saturday, October 19, 12:00 PM, vs. UST Growling Tigers at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion