After 14-0 record: Tab Baldwin says Ateneo 'not robotic,' but a team with a heart

"When they talk about us being kind of super-efficient and almost robotic, I don’t think that people understand the amount of heart that it takes to build the basketball team," said Ateneo team Tab Baldwin, Ateneo de Manila University head coach UAAP PHOTO

Ateneo de Manila University on Wednesday completed a historic elimination round sweep at the expense of the University of the Philippines.

This might be just another day in the office for Ateneo basketball which is perceived by some like a well-oiled machine.

However, Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin begs to differ.

"There’s been a grave misconception about my basketball team. When they talk about us being kind of super-efficient and almost robotic, I don’t think that people understand the amount of heart that it takes to build the basketball team that we have built, and the job particularly that this these five (Thirdy Ravena, Matt Nieto, Mike Nieto, Isaac Go, Adrian Wong) seniors have done in that," Baldwin said in the post-game conference.

For the two-time UAAP champion coach, this current set of Blue Eagles manifest a quality that he has only seen now in his coaching career spanning four decades. 

"This is a team that has a tremendous amount of heart because what determines heart? The sacrifices that these guys have made, this is the hardest practicing team that I’ve ever coached in 40 years," he narrated.

"That doesn’t come because you’re super disciplined or because you’re robotic guys that just do what you’re told. It’s driven by an unbelievable sense of determination, passion, belief in one another, and I think that’s what equates the heart," Baldwin added.

The Ateneo head coach said what the audience sees in the court is a product of the commitment made by the blue-and-white squad. "And what you see out there is not the by-product of some machine that we have put together. That’s the by-product of a group of men that commit themselves to one another and commit their heart to a cause," he said.

While having a perfect record is something that a coach can surely be proud of, the job is still not yet done for the Blue Eagles.

"Our job is far from over. We’ve enjoyed every step of the way. I believe we have an outstanding basketball team, but we haven’t proven ourselves at the last hurdle yet," Baldwin added.

And what can we expect from Ateneo in the Finals? For Baldwin, expect them to go all out whoever the opponent may be.

"We will pay all due respect to our opponents and when I say that, that means we will go out there with everything that we have because that’s what they deserve," he said.

Ateneo is still waiting for the winner of the stepladder semis.

FEU and UST will have a knockout match on November 6, and the team who will emerge victorious will battle out UP, who has the twice-to-beat advantage. The winner of the match against UP will face Ateneo in the Finals. — BAP, GMA News