Tab Baldwin points out a major point for improvement as Ateneo’s Final Four hopes continue to fade.
A tough three-game stretch will serve as the Ateneo Blue Eagles last chance to salvage their Final Four hopes in the UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Following their 59-67 loss to the UST Growling Tigers on Saturday, the Eagles now hold a 5-6 win-loss record, with their final three matches coming against defending champions UP Fighting Maroons (9-3), the unpredictable Adamson Soaring Falcons (5-7), and rivals DLSU Green Archers (6-5).
After finishing with a 24-for-85 shooting clip (28.2 percent) against the Tigers, Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin is urging his wards to improve on their shot-making as they try to navigate through a complicated stretch.
“Our shooting efficiency hasn’t been good this year, and some of that is our shot selection, and some of it is good shooters missing good shots. And it’s always a mystery in coaching; guys that hit shots in practice, same shots they get in these games [they miss] and we don’t know why,” he said.
“We took 85 shots this game and UST took 60 right? Not counting what happened with the free throw line. But when you get 25 shots more than your opponent, you should win the game. But we didn’t, because we didn’t make shots.”
Ateneo is putting up a league-worst 279-for-812 field goal shooting (34.36 percent) across 11 games for Season 88. Making matters more challenging, UP and Adamson are among the top three in points allowed per game at 71.08 and 66.25, respectively. DLSU also remains in the hunt despite their season-long struggles.
Easier said than done, but Baldwin reiterated that making their shots, along with taking better ones, will be needed if Ateneo wants to keep their playoff hopes alive.
“If we take better shots in many of our possessions, our percentages will be higher and that’s on all of us to improve on that area. And we’ll need to improve on that against the quality teams we have to play,” he said.
“So am I confident that we’ll bounce back? We need to, but we need to shoot better especially when we’re getting good shots.”
Baldwin is also banking on the leadership of his main men, namely the one-and-done trio of Kymani Ladi, Dominic Escobar, and Jaden Lazo, as they enter a stretch that can make or break their Final Four aspirations.
“So with their maturity, I think they take our lessons more quickly and we’ll really need that. Because in these last games, we’re playing up against a very experienced UP team, a very experienced Adamson team, and a very experienced La Salle team,” he said.
“We don’t want that to be the deciding factor, and we can’t be significantly behind the other teams in terms of making good decisions and making mature plays on the court.”
Images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.