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Newest recruit Chris Koon with Tab Balwin and team manager Epok Quimpo. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – Ateneo announced on Friday that it has secured the commitment of 19-year-old Filipino-American Chris Koon, staying true to his bid to strengthen the future of the Blue Eagles.
Koon, who has his Filipino roots through his mother Iderlina Acosta, signed up last Tuesday and will be playing for five years with the Philippine University Athletic Association defending champions after turning a red jersey year.
Head coach Tab Baldwin, who introduced Koon via a virtual presser, spoke highly of the 6-foot-4 guard and believes the latter could transition into the Athenaeum program “pretty smoothly.”
“He can play in various positions, [has a] variety of skills, ”said the former national mentor. “One of his greatest attributes is his basketball IQ – a very smart and very tough player.”
“Whatever (Coach Tab) needs, I feel like I can distribute it,” Koon said. “I think I will be able to help the team a lot and (he) will definitely develop me and go through the process.”
Koon, a two-time winner of the John R. Wooden High School Player of the Year award, will debut in season 84, where he will have the opportunity to play alongside Dwight Ramos, the national team member whose debut with the Eagles was fueled by the coronavirus pandemic.
Ramos, who also attended the same university as Koon, is also credited with the latter’s commitment.
Baldwin also cited Ramos as Ateneo’s model for his recruiting process, which he said prioritizes “evolving relationships.”
“For me, it’s just a matter of finding players who can benefit [from] our program and we think you can fit into our program. And by fitting in, it means we think they can benefit [from] they and they also think that “he said”
“Dwight … has two years to play with us,” Baldwin said. And that is the key for us. It is not about how many he will earn for us, it is about how much we could contribute to the future of what we believe to be a good young man and a [athlete] he’s going to be an outstanding basketball player. “
“It’s about relationships,” said the mentor behind Ateneo’s last three UAAP crowns. “We keep saying that, but I think we still measure up.”
Baldwin’s comments also come on the heels of securing talents in Filipino-Italian Gab Gomez, Filipino-Kiwi Jordan Perez and youth star Forthsky Padrigao.
“If you saw me start coming out with a lot of unique things, you would know that we are interested in winning and I don’t think you’re going to see that,” Baldwin said.
“But when we have players who have a couple of years plus a year of residence, you understand that we have time to help that player develop relationships, develop their professionalism and they, in turn, have time to integrate into our culture and chemistry. and improve that, ”he said.
“That is the match we are looking for.”
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