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The Ateneo program favors player development, not championships – Baldwin
Luisa Morales (Philstar.com) – September 25, 2020 – 2:01 pm
MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo Blue Eagles have been the kings of the UAAP men’s basketball tournament for the past three years.
But collecting championship rings isn’t the top priority for the Katipunan-based team, at least according to three-shift architect Tab Baldwin.
Speaking to the media earlier this week about the new senior team recruits in high school stars Forthsky Padrigao and Joshua Lazaro, Baldwin insisted that player development is of the utmost importance to the Eagles, not whether they finish or not at the top of the rankings.
“We look at our program, not what Forthsky and Josh are going to do to help us succeed, we see our program through their eyes: What are we going to be able to do to help them succeed,” Baldwin said.
“We see our program as part of a continuum of the player’s life … So whether the Blue Eagles Athenaeum is champion or not is not our priority, as you have heard me say so many times,” he added.
The multi-title coach sees his players not as an investment in a trophy or a gold medal, but as an opportunity to mold and develop the next biggest stars on the court.
“Our priority is that we take these players along their path to professionalism, and that means we are a tool for them,” he said.
“It means that the Ateneo Blue Eagles program exists as part of that continuum for the player, and I think in many ways that is why we are attractive to many players because they all want to be successful,” he added.
With a majority of Ateneo Blue Eagles alumni entering professional basketball like Isaac Go and Thirdy Ravena, it seems that Baldwin’s vision for his team has come true.
And while it may not be the top priority for the show, the continued influx of great talent and player development still places the Ateneo as the team to beat.
For Baldwin and the Blue Eagles, that seems to be just the icing on the cake.
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