Ateneo de Manila University will have zero expectations when it steps on the court to see action in Season 89 University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament starting 12 September.

In the latest episode of Off the Court, the weekly sports show of DAILY TRIBUNE, Blue Eagles head coach Louie Alas stressed that being on the court is already a blessing so they will play with no pressure as they honor the memories of their departed teammates in Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.

Baterbonia, an incoming rookie from Agusan del Sur, and Adili, a Nigerian student-athlete, perished in a tragic team-building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora on 8 June, an incident that led to the sacking of head coach Tab Baldwin and derailed the overall preparation of the Blue Eagles for the coming UAAP wars.

Fortunately for them, the UAAP board allowed them to see action with Baldwin’s chief deputy in Alas handling the coaching chore.

“Actually, they (Ateneo management) said that there’s no expectations – just play your best every game,” said Alas, a multi-titled mentor who has coaching success in both the professional and collegiate ranks.

After the tragedy, Ateneo took a long break as its players were grieving while giving statements to various fact-finding bodies like the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group of the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation.

The Blue Eagles only played their first official game last Sunday when they beat Our Lady of Fatima University, 71-60, in the 2026 PinoyLiga Cup-The Big Dance Round of 28 at the Blue Eagle Gym.

But Alas stressed that they are not after the result as their main focus right now is to regain their fighting form and develop the chemistry they need, especially since they have a lot of rookies and one-and-done players like Travis Roberts, EJ Kapihe, Grayson Rogers, Jay-M Leal and his son, Kieffer Alas.

Aside from the new faces, Ateneo will also bring back Jared Bahay, Shawn Tuano, Wakee Espina and Drew Bongo to handle leadership roles as it aims to book a return flight to the Final Four.

“We had a long vacation, so we will take it one game at a time. We are not lacking in preparation, mentally and physically, so we are positive that we can compete,” Alas added.

“Actually, like what I've said, even when we started in the PinoyLiga, we wanted to focus on chemistry because we have a lot of rookies. We have one-and-done players, so we need to build chemistry on both ends, defensively and offensively.”

“We just have to be on the same page in everything we want -- in all our visions, in all our purposes and in all our goals. We should only think of one thing: for us to be successful.”

Alas stressed that to make up for the lost time, they are looking to invite some collegiate teams to compete in a pocket tournament. They are also planning to have an integration event inside the Ateneo campus to further solidify their chemistry and cohesion inside the court.

“Maybe a month or two from now, we're planning to invite three teams for a short tournament. If our plans push through, it will happen maybe 10 days before the opening of the UAAP. Those will be our last few games before the season,” he said, adding that they are looking at inviting one UAAP team and two National Collegiate Athletic Association squads for the mini-tournament.

“Right after that, we're also planning to have an integration event for all the members of the team here inside Ateneo. It's like a team-building activity, but we'll do it here inside Ateneo.”

He said that despite having no pressure and expectations, they will still do everything to win.

“We promise that we will do everything to compete in this UAAP competition, and we will be tougher,” the veteran mentor added.

“To the Blue Eagle fans and the Ateneo community, I hope you will go to the venue, support us and pray for us. I hope we all unite because we know our players really want to play as much as they can.”