As Ateneo deals with key losses, Tab Baldwin goes into detail about how he and the Blue Eagles will reload their roster.
It’s now up to Tab Baldwin and the Ateneo Blue Eagles to retool after the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
After their Final Four hopes came to an end against the DLSU Green Archers on Wednesday, November 26, the Blue Eagles will now bid farewell to their one-and-done trio of Kymani Ladi, Dom Escobar, and Jaden Lazo. Joining them will be big man Josh Lazaro, who wrapped up a rare five-year collegiate stint in Katipunan.
Given this, how will the Eagles replace the key cogs that they are losing? For Baldwin, it’s all about leaving no stones unturned, while also being critical about their fit within the current core.
“We’ll recruit according to needs, and we’ll recruit across the gamut of all potential recruiting scenarios,” Baldwin said after Ateneo’s 72-78 loss to DLSU on Wednesday.
Ladi and Escobar were among Ateneo’s leaders for Season 88, with Ladi averaging a team-high 14.29 points and 7.07 rebounds, and Escobar following suit with 11.03 markers and 6.93 boards across the elimination rounds.
Lazo showed promise as a backup guard despite only averaging 5.0 points in nearly 14 minutes of play, while Lazaro continued to make the most out of his limited minutes as a graduating forward.
“So will we pursue players that are one-and-done? Yes, if we think they are the right character and if we think there is a need for the team for them. Are we excited about recruiting young freshmen and incoming players that we believe are gonna commit in the long-term? Absolutely,” Baldwin continued about his recruitment process.
“Are we in the market for a transfer? Why not, if the player could be a good Atenean, or if the player is the type of person, type of student who believes that they will be better off in Ateneo.”
But while Baldwin and Ateneo will be pulling out all the stops to improve their roster, the longtime head coach said that “pursuing” transfers will never be part of their recruitment policies.
“Will I pursue transfers? Never. You can put that in capital letters,” Baldwin emphasized. “But if somebody comes knocking on my door, we will look at their situation in terms of the welfare for that player and the welfare for our program.”
“So there are probably other scenarios, like where we will recruit foreign players. And for sure we will; so our team will continue to be a potpourri of players that come out of various scenarios.”
Although Ateneo fell short of the Final Four anew, the Blue Eagles’ core remains solid, led by a gutsier Jared Bahay, a more confident Waki Espina, foreign student-athlete Divine Adili, and upcoming fourth-year swingman Shawn Tuano.
Now it’s up to Baldwin to add the right pieces to this core, all while sticking to strict principles on recruitment.
Images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.