THREE opening defeats marked Ateneo’s worst start to a UAAP season in a decade - and a first under Tab Baldwin.
While such a skid seemed like a distress signal waiting to go off, the Blue Eagles allayed early fears with their first win of Season 87 over Adamson.
READ: Past BEBOB gives young Ateneo timely reminder about who they are
Bad hasn’t turned into worse, at least for now, but Ateneo great LA Tenorio hopes his alma mater will stop the bleeding for good before worse comes to worst.
Still keeping Tabs
Even with a busy schedule for Barangay Ginebra in the PBA, Tenorio keeps himself in the loop when it comes to his Blue Eagles’ performances in the UAAP.
And as recent results haven’t gone Ateneo’s way, he admits how it has been tough to watch the Katipunan side struggle in battle.
Through it all, Tenorio’s optimism remains undeterred.
As he put it, “As a former Ateneo player, siyempre mahirap makita na ganun ‘yung Ateneo ngayon. But it’s really like that eh. That’s why every year, kailangan talagang merong improvement."
“Kumbaga, the teams are getting better every year also kaya ‘yung (continuous improvements) ‘yung kailangang ma-sustain ng Ateneo.”
No time for Ateneo to waste
A UAAP season goes by quick, and strong starts won’t always guarantee fine finishes.
But by no means should this be an excuse for a young Ateneo side to wait any longer before going full throttle to avoid infamy and restore lost glory.
“Nakikita naman natin na it’s a completely different team right now. Karamihan mga bagong players. Of course, some of the new players are still adjusting,” said Tenorio.
With Baldwin at the helm, the former King Eagle knows that the current crop of Ateneo aces are led by the right man for the job who can help the team sort it all out.
“‘Di naman sa something wrong, pero there’s something that they still have to improve on, obviously after (losing) three games," said Tenorio.
“I’m sure coach Tab [Baldwin] and the rest of the coaching staff has a plan for it.”
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