The Ateneo Blue Eagles aren’t jumping into any conclusions after a strong start in UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball.
Tab Baldwin has always been wary of records — whether they’re good or bad.
At the moment, the numbers are kind to the Ateneo Blue Eagles after they’ve recorded their best start since UAAP Season 84, starting 3-0 after the first full week of action in UAAP Season 88.
But in his tenure in the UAAP, Baldwin has discovered that records do not matter either way when it comes to competitive basketball.
That is, whether they’re at 3-0 or 0-3, there will still be chances to pull off surprises and finish the season on either end of the standings, especially with the way things are in the UAAP's competitive landscape.
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Though currently leading the standings, slightly ahead of fellow undefeated teams UST and NU, Baldwin knows that the Blue Eagles could just easily be tripped as any other team in their subsequent games.
“You know… This team, we just had to play games and kind of see where we're at, but I still think that all the teams in the league are still trying to figure out where everybody is at,” Baldwin said.
“I know it looks like Ateneo 3-0, UST 2-0 [are] sitting atop… but I don't believe either of us will be 7-0 at the turn. I just think the league has a lot of surprises to offer this year and I wouldn't even, you know, try to guess what those surprises will be,” he continued.
Wary of expectations
The last time that the Blue Eagles had such a good start was when the league returned from the pandemic in 2022, where they won their first 13 games before the UP Fighting Maroons denied them of a sweep.
Coincidentally, Ateneo did not win the title that year, with JD Cagulangan and the Fighting Maroons winning a dramatic finale to end their school's decades-long title drought.
For Baldwin, no record or result guarantees a team’s spot anywhere.
At 3-0, the Blue Eagles will still have to be ready for anything that can happen, especially as the first week also handed out some pretty surprising results — including losses to defending champions UP and runner-up La Salle.
“I think we've already seen surprises based on preseason expectations, so it would be kind of foolish to sit here and try to start drawing conclusions,” he said.
Knowing his competitors, Baldwin also doesn’t expect anybody else to think that they’ve got the season made.
“I think when we get close to the turn and half the season is under our belt, maybe the mist will be clearing a bit. But I don't think anybody... Pido [Jarencio]’s not going to be sitting over there going 'we got this thing' and I'm certainly not,” said Baldwin.
“And I'm sure that UP and La Salle with a couple of losses under their belt, they're not sweating that this is going to be a giveaway year. So we just have to keep playing and get ready for every game and fight for every opportunity that we can get and try to be good when we need to be good,” he continued.
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Luisa Morales is a sports writer with a special interest in promoting women’s sports.
Her coverage highlights include the UAAP, PVL, Southeast Asian Games, and the FIBA World Cup. She also follows Alex Eala, the Philippine women’s national football team, and mixed martial arts.