Building Baldwin’s Ateneo teams

Building Baldwin’s Ateneo teams

by rick olivares

Building a champion not only means the ability to recruit, but to deal with adversity on and off the court (such as the cycle of graduation, injuries, and casualties due to academics), and to coach. Yes, having an all-star line-up doesn’t guarantee success. It helps, but as the saying goes, “the ball is round.”

Let’s take a look at how Thomas Anthony “Tab” Baldwin has done in his four years with the Ateneo Blue Eagles by the numbers and charts.

Season	Loss of Players to injury, academics, graduation, transfer out, or opting out of their eligibility based on previous UAAP roster	Rookies, Team B call-ups, transferees, returnees	Homegrown (Either from the Ateneo Grade School or High School players) number	Finish
79	Arvin Tolentino, Jerie Pingoy, Hubert Cani, John Apacible, Clint Doliguez	Raffy Verano, Jolo Mendoza, Shaun Ildefonso, Jawaun White, Jme Escaler	9	2nd
80	Adrian Wong, GBoy Babilonia, Shaun Ildefonso, Jme Escaler	Gian Mamuyac, Tyler Tio, Troy Mallillin, BJ Andrade	9	Champion
81	Chibueze Ikeh, Troy Mallillin, Kris Porter, Jawaun White, Vince Tolentino	William Navarro, SJ Belangel, Adrian Wong, Matthew Daves, Angelo Kouame	9	Champion
82	Raffy Verano, Jolo Mendoza, Aaron Black, Anton Asistio	Pat Maagdenberg, Gio Chiu, Jason Credo, Troy Mallillin	8	?

Before Tab Baldwin (3^rd Place)

Year 1 – UAAP 2^nd Place

Year 2 – UAAP champion, Champions League champion

Year 3 – Filoil Preseason Cup champion, BBI champion, City Hoops champion, UAAP champion

Year 4 – D-League champion

Let’s take a look at the improvement of his teams over the years.

Season	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Blocks
79	70.9 (3rd)	44.8 (4th)	14.2 (2nd)	4.3 (last)	4.5 (2nd)
80	85.2 (2nd)	45.4 (3rd)	17.6 (3rd)	5.4 (7th)	3.3 (5th)
81	80.6 (1st)	47.4 (1st)	15.6 (2nd)	6.3 (2nd)	5.4 (1st)
82	76.8 (2nd)	48.3 (3rd)	16.9 (1st)	6.2 (2nd)	7.1 (1st)

Season	Fastbreak Points	2nd Chance Points	Turnover Points	Free Throws
79	6.0 (last)	12.1 (2nd)	14.7 (6th)	250/374 (2nd)
80	9.1 (last)	15.5 (2nd)	13.7 (7th)	327/467 (3rd)
81	9.7 (6th)	15.5 (1st)	15.6 (2nd)	228/322 (3rd)
82	12.2 (3rd)	18.9 (1st)	21.7 (1st)	165/233 (1st)

And lastly, how they rank on both offense and defense.

Season	Team Rank Offense	Team Ranks Defense
79	3rd	2nd
80	2nd	3rd
81	1st	1st
82	2nd	1st

The question at this point is, “Will they win it all again?” They are in the finals, but they still have to win two more games.

And let’s take a look at the previous champions – their five-peat squads and how they also accomplished that given their adversity quotient of sorts.

Let’s also see how those five-peat teams of Norman Black did.

Season	Loss of Players to injury, academics, graduation, transfer out, or opting out of their eligibility based on previous UAAP roster	Rookies, Team B call-ups, transferees, returnees	Homegrown (Either from the Ateneo Grade School or High School players) number	Finish
71	Ford Arao, Emman Monfort, Zion Laterre, Ken Barracoso, Martin Quimson,	Ryan Buenafe, Nico Salva, Justin Chua, Vince Burke, Tonino Gonzaga	3	Champion
72	Mike Baldos, Yuri Escueta, Chris Tiu, Jobe Nkemakolam	Emman Monfort, Chris de Chavez, Frank Golla, Juami Tiongson	5 (six if you include Emman Monfort from Ateneo de Iloilo)	Champion
73	Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Nonoy Baclao, Jai Reyes, Oping Sumalinog, Vince Burke	Jeric Estrada, Carlo Balmaceda, Arthur dela Cruz, JP Erram, Jumbo Escueta	5 (seven if you include Monfort and Ateneo de Cagayan’s JP Erram)	Champion
74	Carlo Balmaceda, Chris de Chavez, Arthur dela Cruz, Eric Salamat, Jumbo Escueta, Ryan Buenafe	Gwyne Capacio, Von Pessumal, BJ Cipriano, Kiefer Ravena, Greg Slaughter, Oping Sumalinog	6 (eight if you include Monfort and Erram)	Champion
75	Bacon Austria, Kirk Long, Emman Monfort, BJ Cipriano, Jeric Estrada (they also lost JP Erram for the rest of the campaign to a knee injury late in the second round)	GBoy Babilonia, Isaac Lim, Ryan Buenafe, Kris Porter, Nico Elorde	6 (seven if you include Erram)	Champion

On Ateneo's elimination round sweep: Temper that exhilaration. It isn’t done yet.

Yet despite the giddiness that an Atenean can feel, it should be tempered. It isn’t done by a longshot. There are two more wins that need to be earned. A sweep doesn’t mean anything if one doesn’t bring home the trophy.

Temper that exhilaration. It isn’t done yet.

by rick olivares

There is a sense of exhilaration at seeing the Ateneo Blue Eagles sweep the elimination round for the first time in its UAAP history after that 86-64 win over the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons. They have come close on three occasions – 1987, 2011, 2012, and most recently in 2017. Each time though, they won the championship.

This is charting new ground more so since this awards the team an automatic finals slot. The downside though is there isn’t any thrice-to-beat advantage and there is the long lay-off. We have seen it affect the Blue Eaglets each time they have accomplished that feat. But while one must learn from those lessons, one does not place their faith in such things. At this point, how they come out is also within their control. 

Yet despite the giddiness that an Atenean can feel, it should be tempered. It isn’t done by a longshot. There are two more wins that need to be earned. A sweep doesn’t mean anything if one doesn’t bring back the trophy.

Having defeated every challenge this year, the fear aside from rust is a sense of complacency.

Ateneo cage history has shown that can be one’s downfall.

This 2019 is actually the 80^th year Ateneo teams have gone out for athletic battle using the moniker “Blue Eagles.” In 1939, the Ateneo Blue Eagles swept the elimination round, 8-0, but lost in the finals to La Salle (for their first NCAA title).

Former Ateneo star, Primitivo Martinez was the coach that season and come the finals, he opted to start his second unit rather than his usual five. It was a huge mistake as the Green Archers rang up a huge lead. By the time Ateneo woke from its slumber, the rally fell short, losing 27-23. Ateneo averaged 35.5 points per game back then but were held to 23 points. 

In 1977, Ateneo was one win away from sweeping the elimination round and that meant back then an outright championship. There was one last game to play against San Beda. Three Blue Eagles were called up to the national team. While they were told they can release one, the other two opted to go abroad leaving an Ateneo team a bit depleted against a strong Red Lions team. San Beda won and now there was a best-of-three finals that Ateneo lost in Game Three. Yes, it was that infamous closed door match.

The coaching staff has enough veterans to know about not seizing the moment (anyone remember the second round loss to NU during the 2007 campaign). Hopefully, they will be ready come the finals.

But what can be taken from this win right now?

For one, it puts a huge damper on UP and everyone else’s designs. Fourteen times they tried to get that win, but 14 teams they were beat back; some in a most disparaging manner. 

Second, you have other players now finding their groove. Am talking about SJ Belangel, Isaac Go, and Angelo Kouame. 

Belangel has come a long way from his Blue Eaglet days when he said he couldn’t win one despite his talent. He did win a juniors title and now one seniors chip as well. He is gunning for a second in the collegiate ranks. 

Third, there is the seamless return of William Navarro to the team after getting knocked out by Nick Abanto. He finished with 13 points, two rebounds, two assists, and two steals against one turnover. That is very good considering he was out for two games. 

Fourth, it is denying the UP coaching staff a win. You do not want a former coach and former players getting a win over you. Look reputations too are on the line here whether they admit it or not. Bragging rights as well. That is just how it is; unfair or not.

And fifth and last, it is how this team has dealt with adversity. During Tab Baldwin’s first year, he lost a bunch of players due to academics yet they still made the finals. That underscored what Baldwin has done for the team.

This season, in addition to losing Anton Asistio to graduation, Aaron Black opted out of his final playing year. Then Jolo Mendoza and Raffy Verano were knocked out as well due to academics. 

Talk about next man up.

I remember last season as saying that Will Navarro in the starting five was good. Someone remarked if I thought that was a better move than Raffy Verano in there. 

Each player brings something. Verano has his toughness and willingness to do the dirty work. Plus, he can pass. Will is more athletic, can shoot, and play multiple positions on both ends of the floor. 

If anything. It once more underscores the work that the coaching staff has done to mine the talents of their players despite others being star-studded. 

On that note, their biggest work will be done in the next two weeks or so as they prepare the team for its endgame.

Temper that celebration. This isn’t done yet.

My Monday column October 28 in Business Mirror One last time, Blue.

One last time, Blue.

by rick olivares

My father, Danny Olivares, is hoping to watch one more game of the Ateneo Blue Eagles. This one is this coming Wednesday, October 30 when the two-time defending champions take on the University of the Philippines.

However, at the Mall of Asia Arena is Pasay City? At his condition where he has been greatly slowed down by a series of strokes? It is possible, but it would be difficult. Getting there and back all the way to the house would wear him out.

Some 20 of his Ateneo batchmates (Grade School ’54, High School ’58, and College ’62) are going as part of their Diamond Jubilee celebration. 

That is quite a storied class. Actor and comedian Noel Trinidad, Mahar Mangahas of the Social Weather Station, Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, noted US immigration lawyer Ted Laguatan, former Secretary of Education DJ De Jesus, Butch Bonoan of Better Than Ice Cream, banker Vic Barrios, Jess dela Fuente of IBM, footballer, national team player and sports official Johnny Romualdez, basketball champ and coach Dodie Agcaoili, former Jesuit Ed Garcia who now works as a life coach, Tonito Quirino who was the son of President Quirino, my Tito Vlady Olivares who put up Our Lady of Fatima U but now calls NYC home, and others.

I even dated the daughter of one of his classmates. Hindi kami nagkatuluyan kasi na torpe ako.

His Ateneo classmates who have moved on into the great hereafter who I was good friends with include former Blue Eagle Boogie Pamintuan who was a NCAA champ -- teammates with Ed Ocampo and Paquito Diaz who went on to become an actor -- and my neighbour during my younger years, sportscaster Joe Cantada who was an amateur boxing champ for Ateneo and who would give me PBA tickets (he also mentored me as a young sportswriter for the Journal group and the Philippine Daily Inquirer), Ronnie Alejandro who made a name for himself in New York as a writer and who I did odd jobs for in Greenwich Village, actor and comedian Subas Herrero, comedian Gary Lising, broadcaster Manolo "Manok" Lopez who I worked with at Solar Sports, and others.

During my father’s batch’s time in school (both at the Padre Faura and Loyola Heights campuses), they experienced four NCAA championships – 1953-54, 57-58, and 1961.

“It was a smaller campus then with a smaller student population,” said my dad. “Aside from knowing each other, we all celebrating the championships. When I was in grade school, high school, and college. Those were the good old days as they call it.”

I used to sit and listen in amazement to his stories of cheering at the old Rizal Memorial Coliseum. My first taste of a NCAA title came when I was in the Ateneo grade school when the Blue Eagles won the 1975-76 titles. When I got to high school, my batch won a juniors championship during our senior year. Then in college came the school’s first UAAP crowns in 1987 and 1988.

I got to see some of those games by that 1970s team that featured future pros Steve Watson, Joy Carpio, Padim Israel, and Bambi Kabigting. My uncle Johnny Tañedo took me to some of those games. During those UAAP title years, I’d go with my dad.

While he was never an athlete (unlike his kids), he enjoyed watching the games. Even when he physically did not go to the games, he’d watch them on television.

My passion for sports (not just Ateneo sports) also comes from him (along with an uncle who fostered the love of baseball in me). During the launch of the Ateneo five-peat book (titled “Five”) that I wrote at the Ayala Museum, my father was so proud of a connection I had made to our alma mater. It was actually my second book about the Blue Eagles with The 18^th Banner coincidentally being my first and the first of the vie-peat titles. So in a way, Five was like the perfect bookend. 

There’s 11 Days in August that is about Gilas Pilipinas’ successful 2013 Fiba Asia campaign, A NU Champion that recounts the 2015 NU Bulldogs’ UAAP title season, Rise which tells of the NU Pep Squad’s three-peat in the Cheer Dance Championships, and contributing to Philippine Football: It’s Past, Its Future and Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan The Maestro of Philippine Basketball. I am currently working on Golden, that is recount the stories of the Xavier School Golden Stallions.

Except for my unfinished book, my father has copies of everything I have written. And that bring s me back to the upcoming game.

Early this October, three of my father’s batchmates wrote current Ateneo University Athletics Director Emmanuel Fernandez inquiring about the possibility of getting block seating for the match. Personally, I think it is cool. Their batch is extremely close to one another. They regularly hold reunions and go out of their way to help other batchmates of theirs who aren’t well. 

“It’s not like this is our last hurrah,” said Ed Garcia who now works with the student-athletes of FEU. “It is just reliving the days of our youth. It would be nice to watch again though not in the bleachers. Lower box, upper box is good where it isn’t too painful on the knees. While our reunions have bigger numbers I think for the Ateneo-UP game, we can only bring in 20 from our batch.”

My dad would like to watch with his classmates. Yell, cheer, and sing one more time. However, it doesn’t look possible given his health condition. As much as I want him to go (and be with him), it is best that he stay from home and watch on television. He grudgingly agreed.

“But I’ll be there in spirit,” he smiled. 

Masterclass: Ateneo’s win over NU to go to 13-0

Masterclass: Ateneo’s win over NU to go to 13-0

by rick olivares

The Ateneo Blue Eagles routed the hapless National University Bulldogs, 88-51, to go to 13-0 while dropping their victim to 2-11. Of their 13 wins, only two have come at seven points or less. The others have been routs. 

Ateneo seems to finally found its groove this second round. The only close game was against Adamson.

Here are some of my thoughts after this win.

That was some show put on by the Blue Eagles on both ends of the court. 

They have pulverized Jamike Jarin’s Bulldogs in all six meetings.

Season 80, 

NU lost 85-72 and 96-83 by an average of 13 points.

Season 81,

NU lost 72-46 and 79-64 by an average of 20.5 points.

This Season 82, the scores have been lopsided as well.

The scores were 71-50 and 88-51
and NU lost by an average of 29.0.

We haven’t even counted the preseason games that have also been massacres.

The Bulldogs aren’t the only ones feeling Ateneo’s wrath. The Blue Eagles have suffocated NU’s young stud star and former Ateneo Blue Eaglet Dave Ildefonso. 

In Ildefonso’s two season over at F. Jhocson Street, these are his numbers versus Ateneo.

4 points in a 72-46 loss. 2/8 25% FG

13 points in a 79-64 loss 5/16 31%

10 points in a 71-50 loss 2/9 22% shooting

2 points in 81-55 loss 1/5 20% shooting

Ildefonso averages 16.9 points per game. Against Ateneo, that number is dramatically down to 7.25 points average (10/38 from the field and 26% shooting). They will not say it, but this is a subtle way of getting at the young star.

His older brother Shaun continues to play well against Ateneo; no doubt, the result of extra motivation of playing against his former team.

Ateneo dominated NU in every category (including the efficiency ratings where every Atenean finished on the positive side while every Nationalian finished in the negative end).

Statistic	Ateneo	NU
3-point shots	9/31	4/15
Perimeter Points	31	18
Free throws	11/15	3/3
Rebounds	55	31
Second Chance Points	24	10
Inside Points	46	30
Assists	26	13
Blocks	5	4
Fastbreak Points	23	9

NU averages about 88 points per game but against Ateneo, they managed only 55.5 points. Talk about being smothered.

The next players up are BJ Andrade and Troy Mallillin. BJ tallied four points, three rebounds, five assists, and one steal while Troy finished with four points as well as seven boards. The latter showed a lot of hustle and athleticism in and around the basket.

Early in the season, the bench struggled with holding leads put up by the starting unit. Now, they have been doing some serious heavy lifting themselves.

Angelo Kouame is finally back to his old reliable self. His play was maddening at certain times. In spite of his tall frame, he’d miss close stabs and be missing in action for a while. Luckily, his teammates have started to pick up the slack. Thirdy Ravena is now his old all-around and vicious self. Isaac Go is hitting big shots. 

Kouame finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds along with three blocks.

And this is the perfect way for the Blue Eagles to go into their upcoming meeting with the UP Fighting Maroons.