An elimination round exit has given Ateneo de Manila University a little head start in the arms race for next season’s competition.

Head coach Tab Baldwin will be busy looking for pieces to fill in the shoes left by senior Josh Lazaro and the one-and-done players Kymani Ladi, Dom Escobar and Jaden Lazo — all vital cogs in the Blue Eagles’ campaign in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 men’s basketball tournament.

Ateneo is again in a rebuilding process after missing the playoffs for the second straight season. But Baldwin insisted that poaching potential transferees is not in his recruitment playbook.

“Will I pursue transfers? Never. You can put that in capital letters,” said the American mentor after Ateneo bid adieu to the season with a painful 72-78 loss to Final Four-bound De La Salle University last Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Baldwin is adamant that he won’t give in to the tempting, underhanded move of luring players from someone else’s backyard to jump ship.

“But if somebody comes knocking on my door, we will look at their situation in terms of the welfare for that player and the welfare for our program. There are probably other scenarios. Will we recruit Fil-Foreign players? Sure, we will. So, our team will continue to be, you know, a potpourri of players that come out of various recruiting scenarios,” Baldwin added.

Ateneo itself fell victim to the trend of player transfers when Mason Amos left for La Salle a couple of years ago.

Other marquee switches saw National University’ Kean Baclaan joining the Green Archers and University of the Philippines becoming the destination of University of the East’s Rey Remogat and Rainier Maga and Far Eastern University’s Veejay Pre.

Baldwin wants to stick with recruiting players who fit not only his system but also Ateneo’s standards for student-athletes.

“Well, we’re gonna recruit to needs and our recruiting will be across the gamut of all potential recruiting scenarios so, will we pursue players that are one and done? Yes, if we think they’re the right character. If we think that there’s a need in the team for that — Absolutely,” he said.

“Are we excited about the prospect of recruiting young freshmen incoming players that we believe are going to contribute over the long term? Absolutely. Are we in the market for a transfer? Why not if the player could be a good Atenean and if the player is the type of person and the type of student who believes that they would be better off in Ateneo.”