TAB Baldwin said that Ateneo’s 3-0 start in the ongoing UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament caught him by surprise.
But to be fair, that’s by design as he came to the season with no expectations at all.
“I didn’t expect to be 3-0, 2-1, 1-2, or 0-3. We really didn’t have expectations. This team, we really just had to play games and you kind of see where we’re at,” he said after Sunday’s 77-58 win over Adamson to move to solo first in the standings.
READ: Ateneo runs away from Adamson in final frame to rise to 3-0
What Baldwin is happy to note in the Blue Eagles’ first three games was how the three one-and-done players have done their part in bringing in veteran presence for this young Katipunan side.
Kymani Ladi, the much-talked about forward, has lived up to the hype as he leads the blue-and-white with 19.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game.
Dom Escobar, the stocky winger, has also been consistent with his averages of 10.3 points, 5.3 boards, 1.7 assists, and 1.7 steals.
And Jaden Lazo, the streaky Fil-Am shooter, has collected 8.3 points highlighted by his 15-point eruption against the Soaring Falcons.
“The maturity that they bring is first and foremost really important,” said Baldwin. “They have that perspective on things that even when something’s new and a little bit daunting, they know they still have a job to do.”
That doesn’t mean that the trio still find themselves in awe with the gravity of their duties for Ateneo.
“It’s their first experience in Araneta and Dom said to me, ‘I’m gonna have to get used to this.’ And I told him, ‘No, you’re not. You just got to ball, you just got to go play.’ Don’t think about venues, crowds cause it’s just gonna get bigger.”
The Blue Eagles may have had to take an unorthodox route in terms of program building this season, but the champion mentor is willing to deal with the cards dealt to him as he sees these young vets becoming a positive influence for their youthful team bannered by Jared Bahay.
“You can see that these guys go out with a job to do and it doesn’t matter if it’s coming easy or coming tough, they just continue doing their job. And it’s such an excellent example for our young players and it is contagious. We are growing as a team partly because of the maturity that these guys bring,” he said.
Baldwin, however, will be the last person to be blinded by Ateneo’s early success as he expects things to just get harder for his side moving forward.
“Every level in this league, there’s a test, and whatever we're doing well is gonna get tested. So we just have to try and answer every question that is asked,” he said.
“It will be kind of foolish to sit here and draw conclusions. I think when we get close to the turn when half the season is under our belt, maybe the mist will be clearing a bit. But we just have to keep on playing and get ready for every game, fight for every opportunity that we can get, and try to be good when we need to be good.”
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