WAS there a conscious effort to bring in as many Ateneo players as possible to the final Gilas Pilipinas lineup for the Fiba Asia Cup qualifier against Indonesia?
It looks like it, with seven former or current Blue Eagles - Kiefer and Thirdy Ravena, Matt Nieto, Isaac Go, Dwight Ramos, Poy Erram and Justine Chua being shortlisted in the Final 12 for Sunday's match in Jakarta.
That tally increases to eight if you count CJ Perez, who had a brief stay in Katipunan before academic problems prompted his move to Lyceum where he led the Pirates to the NCAA Finals twice.
But Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) program director Tab Baldwin vehemently denied that there was a plan to populate the Gilas lineup with Blue Eagles, noting that at the end of the day, it's all a matter of fit.
"Not at all. It's just cohesion," he said.
"We just picked the guys that we thought were going to be a combination of the best team, which is what we said we would do in sprinkling in the youth, while we try to accomplish these dual objectives of blooding the new players and building for the future, but still having a team strong enough that we believe can win the game," Baldwin added.
Baldwin, who is an active voice in the team of interim coach Mark Dickel, is familiar with more than half of the players who made the cut.
Three players, namely Thirdy Ravena, Go, and Nieto, were the pillars of the Baldwin-coached Ateneo squads that have won the last three UAAP championships, including the last one via historic sweep.
Ramos, meanwhile, is about to make his debut for the Blue Eagles this season. Also, skipper Kiefer Ravena and Troy Rosario were part of the Gilas pool which Baldwin coached, in the 2016 Fiba Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila.
Yet as much as familiarity works in favor of these seven, the American-Kiwi mentor reiterated that it wasn't the decisive factor in the selection process.
"I think it's an advantage for them, but I don't think it's a selection issue," he said.
Baldwin, though, said that having players who are well versed with the system will always be a plus for any national team, as the case is anywhere in the world.
"That's true in any national team where players are familiar with a coach, or whatever the case would be," he said. "Some of the players play for the national coach throughout the season, and that's very common throughout the world. And those players obviously will have the advantage of familiarity, but there's nothing beyond that."
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