Tab going on a U.S. recruiting spree

It’s back to the drawing board for Ateneo de Manila University head coach Tab Baldwin.

The American-Kiwi mentor has already plotted his course of action in the days to come to restore the Blue Eagles’ lost pride following a forgettable campaign in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 men’s basketball tournament.

“Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday we’ll be in the gym. And then the following week is the exam (week), so I’ll get a break, but I’ll be recruiting. And the week after that, we’ll start practice, formal practice,” Baldwin said after Ateneo suffered a 55-69 defeat to Adamson University to wrap up a tough season on Saturday at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan.

“And the week after that, I’ll be off to the States recruiting.”

Baldwin’s pronouncement quashed rumors hounding the four-time UAAP champion that he’s on his way out after a colorful career with the blue and white since 2016.

He guaranteed that his existing contract would be good until the end of Season 88.

So, until then he will try to make Ateneo great again.

The Blue Eagles only had a paltry four wins out of 14 starts to end the season at the bottom of the standings.

“I’m excited about next year. I think that when you have a dip in the standards that you believe should be part of how you work and who you are, when there’s a dip there, there’s an immediate reaction to that, to get back in the saddle,” Baldwin said.

“And I’ve always been a person driven by challenges, and certainly this is a big one, and it’s never a bad thing to be humble, never, and we are.”

It wasn’t the ending Baldwin expected as Ateneo had its worst performance since 2013 and missed the Final Four for the first time in 11 years.

“It was a tough season. It was a season that we can look at honestly without a lot of regrets because we understand the circumstances that put us where we ended up and the battles we had to fight,” the 66-year-old tactician said.

“And they aren’t things you know that you wanna carry around and talk about all the time but they’re also real. They’re also things that factor in when they happen to any team.”

Even before the start of the season, Ateneo had to deal with sudden turn of events when Mason Amos transferred to De La Salle University and Lebron Nieto went down with an injury.

“And you know, my respect for the team to have to battle through that adversity, players having to accept roles that they honestly weren’t prepared for, players having to step into positional responsibilities that frankly they didn’t come to Ateneo, to the Blue Eagle program to have to play in those positions, that doesn’t garner anything but respect from me,” Baldwin said.

“But also in doing that, it highlights a lot of deficiencies that encumber us when we go out and play games and even in training sessions. So, it was a year of adversity, no question about it.”