Baldwin claims momentum is key for Eagles

MANILA, Philippines —  Going into the UAAP Finals today, Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin said it’s the Blue Eagles who are enjoying momentum.

“We have certainly some inspiration that we’ll take from the [FEU] win,” he said. “And we are going to stand in from of them. We are not gonna bow out of the way, we are not gonna open the door for them.”

Ateneo, who surprised the league by notching the second seed even with a relatively young and inexperienced lineup, arranged a “dream” Finals match with their longtime rivals and current league-leader De La Salle.

And Baldwin, who once served the two national teams in many international battles, believes the series with the defending champions FEU, which ended Wednesday, helped prime his wards for the tussle with the mighty Green Archers.

“There were so many lessons to be derived from that series — the game, the scenarios, what we’re confronting now and how to prepare for it,” he said. “These guys are outstanding to work with. They really listen.”

“This is basketball playoffs 401,” he added. “This is high-level stuff.”

And as far as high levels go, this dance at the summit with their most ferocious of foes is one that brings together not only students and alumni of both camps, but draws myriad of spectators as the Ateneo-La Salle rivalry is one that stretches back up until the 1920s, where the two teams were still playing in the NCAA.

In their Finals series matchup, the Eagles also have the history as their ally. Ateneo won three of the four times they locked horns with De La Salle in the UAAP’s grandest stage. Heck, they were the only blemish in La Salle’s 14-game outing this season.

But with all that coaching experience under Baldwin’s belt, the New Zealander and former Gilas coach is not letting his guard down. 

“If they don't see that we're the underdogs, they're blind. We are prohibitive underdogs in this tournament,” he said.

And while he agrees that they may have laid down the blue print to beating the seemingly invincible Archers, Baldwin said coach Aldin Ayo and his wards have probably left no stone unturned. That they will try to not let that stunning loss happen again come hell or high water.

“That was a team that was on a 12-game run. That was a team that had beaten us soundly before, so we know that we're not gonna see the same Green Archers team in Game 1.”

The first of the three-game Finals series tips off today 3:30 p.m. at the Mall of Asia Arena.

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