Tab Baldwin admits Ateneo ‘knocked down’ as UAAP Final Four streak comes to an end

There will be no Ateneo Blue Eagles in the Final Four for the first time since UAAP Season 76.

This after UST’s win over the UE Red Warriors on Saturday, November 9, officially eliminated the embattled Blue Eagles from semis contention, now unable to catch up to the rest of the pack with their 3-9 slate.

[RELATED: UAAP: FEU pulls off season sweep vs Ateneo to send Blue Eagles to the brink]

Dealt with a rebuilding roster centered around young stars like Jared Bahay and Kristian Porter, Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin admitted that it was a tall order to make the Final Four right from the very beginning.

Forced to battle a highly-competitive UAAP field without players they thought would be there for the long-haul, Ateneo had to make do.

“Yeah, we're in a very difficult position which we put ourselves in throughout the season, it didn't just happen today [against FEU],” Baldwin said, after getting swept by the Tamaraws in Season 87.

“[We’re] very disappointed dugout in there and a lot of guys that have been successful basketball players coming into our program and nobody envisaged the Ateneo Blue Eagles being where we're at right now but that's the reality and I guess the cliches are true,” he added.

Since Baldwin’s first year at the helm in UAAP Season 79, this is the only time that the Blue Eagles have missed the Final Four — they used to have the longest active streak of semis appearances at nine consecutive Final Fours.

But as with every team, there comes a time where they are forced to rebuild and reassess — especially in the collegiate scene where players come and go much faster than before.

Acknowledging their losses at this point, Baldwin was resigned at Ateneo’s situation.

“The measure of a program, the measure of a person, the measure of a team is what you do when you get knocked down. And, you know, we're knocked down as a program. And I have every confidence that we will respond and we will learn from the situation that we're in and we will use it as motivation to grow in the future,” he said.

Despite this, Baldwin challenged his players to continue to show their Ateneo spirit in their last two games of the season.

With a chance to finish the season strong, Baldwin just hopes his players get to lean on each other and play inspired basketball.

“You know, what happens over the next two games is a lot more dependent on what every individual that's in our program right now is capable of as a competitor. Because it's not easy when you feel that your hopes and your dreams are slipping away from you. And it really boils down to what you, as a competitor, have in the fiber of your being,” said Baldwin.

“And that's what the coaches are going to call on in the players. That's what we're going to rely on in one another and you know hopefully in the short term we can play these next two games at a high level and win games, see what happens and use that as part of the lessons that we have to learn for our future, whatever that future will be.”

Baldwin’s request may be easier said than done, though, as the Blue Eagles will face a win-hungry Final Four competitor next in the UE Red Warriors.

Ateneo clashes with UE for their penultimate game of the season on Wednesday, November 13, at the UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.