'Still not polished': Baldwin downplays Blue Eagles' 2-0 start

MANILA, Philippines -- Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin is shrugging off the Blue Eagles’ 2-0 start in UAAP Season 88, saying that while they have a platform to stand on, a lot more still has to be done.

The Blue Eagles, who missed the Final Four for the first time in the Baldwin era last season, is off to a strong start this year.

Led by Jared Bahay and Kymani Ladi, the Katipunan-based squad has won back-to-back heart-stopping games – first, an 86-83 overtime win over the Far Eastern University Tamaraws, followed by Wednesday’s slim 62-60 win over the University of the East Red Warriors.

After the UE win, Baldwin said he believes the 2-0 start “does not mean a lot.”

“You know, I mean, two wins isn't going to get us into the playoffs, isn't going to get us to the second season. But we'd rather be 2-0 than 1-1 or 0-2. So, it gives us a little bit of a platform,” he told reporters.

“But you can't take a breath at this point. We still have to put wins on the board. And we've got to continue to improve,” he added.

Against the Red Warriors, Ateneo led by as much as 12 points, 36-24.

But UE stormed back in the third quarter, taking the lead, 47-45.

Big plays by Ladi and fellow one-and-done Dom Escobar, though, gave Ateneo the win.

“We kind of knew that that might take place, that we wouldn't be polished at the start of the season. And we're not. So, there's a lot of lessons still to be learned. The players have to have the right attitude, the right mentality. And understand this isn't our best,” said Baldwin.

“But we have to be happy getting the wins. But we have to be dissatisfied with the performances until we put the kind of games together that we can be really confident are going to lead to wins against the tougher teams or the playoff bound teams.”

Baldwin also said that he is realy happy with how the team finishes in the end-game this season.

“I'm really happy that we're getting the wins in the tough situations. Because, you know, you guys would all remember the last couple of seasons, we were the opposite. When it seemed like the game was on the line, we gave those games away. We didn't finish those games. So, that's really positive,” he said.

“But I can't say that, you know, that's a trend yet. It just happened in the first two games. And certainly there's lessons to be learned."

Baldwin stressed that the team still needs to be better down the stretch, emphazing on making more free throws, protecting the ball better and getting cleaner looks.

“At the same time, you know, we've made some smart defensive plays. And so, yeah, it's a little bit of a mixed bag. But certainly we're more on the positive side of the ledger right now.”

Ateneo is on top of the standings with a 2-0 record, the first team to tally that mark. They are already halfway through their four wins last season.