CHICAGO- The fate of Tab Baldwin is hanging precariously on the balance.
In the wake of last Monday’s drowning incident that claimed the lives of Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia, Ateneo is set to place the two-time UAAP Coach of the Year on an official leave of absence.
According to multiple sources, the plug was almost pulled late on Wednesday night before a change of heart.
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The Board of Trustees will meet at 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 11 where a final decision is expected to come down, a person with knowledge of the situation bared.
If Baldwin is put on LOA, it will be more like a preventive measure that benches the former Gilas Pilipinas coach and program director while government agencies investigate that tragic training camp in Dipaculao, Aurora.
BANNED.
An LOA means Baldwin is restricted from conducting team practices, attending games, and participating in team events.
That inactive status, if enacted, will remain indefinite until otherwise lifted, multiple sources said.
One of the most colorful and polarizing coach in the history of Philippine collegiate basketball, Baldwin is lionized by his supporters as a clipboard genius who brought four UAAP championships to Ateneo.
But with an occasionally biting tonque and an unwavering confidence that is often misconstrued as an outsider’s arrogance, Baldwin has more than his share of haters.
His 11-year tenure at Ateneo has been rock-solid since 2016 until cracks began to surface in 2024 when rumors of a divorce emerged after a 4-10 finish in UAAP Season 87.
END OF AN ERA?
After signing a three-year contract extension last September followed by a gallant Final Four push in Season 88, things were looking up.
And then tragedy struck, potentially banishing Baldwin from the storied program that he burnished with a culture of winning and a mantra of sustained excellence.
Just like that.
Because life is fragile. Fate is fickle. And tomorrow is never promised.
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