WOULD A COACHING CULTURE CHANGE BE THE BEST MOVE FOR ATENEO?
- 8 minutes ago
- 7 min read
There is no other way to say it. I think Ateneo is right to bench Tab Baldwin from all basketball-related activities right now, and quite frankly, I think the school is better off finding a new coach.
And I'm not a hater for saying this. In fact, I have five reasons why Ateneo needs to move on from the storied coach.
THE FACE OF THE TRAINING TRAGEDY
It sucks that Ateneo will enter Season 89 with possibly Rene Baterbonia's number on the left side and Divine Adili's number on the right side of their jerseys. That said, it's even more problematic if we see Tab Baldwin calling the shots on the sidelines.
There is this thing called command responsibility, and while we can blame the resort owners for not warning the players, the school administration for the way it handled the situation, and even the players for blindly agreeing to it, Baldwin is the key figure in this tragedy.
For the fans, his presence at games will definitely give them the ick. For Baldwin, he's in a no-win situation. His coaching could become compromised if he becomes mindful of the watchful eyes around him, and if he tunes out the basketball community and concentrates solely on coaching, people might see his actions as tone-deaf.
I believe no one wanted this to happen, and I'm sure Baldwin is traumatized by the incident.
That said, we have seen how basketball fans reacted to Chot Reyes when he coached Gilas Pilipinas, and mind you, their issue with him was that he treated every loss as a "learning experience."
So how do you think they'll react to Baldwin, knowing that his training method claimed the lives of two promising ballers?
THE SCHOOL'S REPUTATION
Ateneo has long been seen as one of the pillars of college basketball. But its influence goes beyond the sport.
When the 2022 shooting incident happened on campus, there was considerable buzz about how the shooter managed to get inside in the first place. The public was led to believe that the school had the resources to provide top-tier security for people on its premises.
The training tragedy is another blow to the institution because it allowed its students to travel to Aurora and undergo this kind of training for nearly a decade. What's worse is that, allegedly, the UAAP officials are letting them off the hook without sanctions.
In an interview conducted by Anton Roxas for Bilyonaryo News Channel, fabled sportswriter and broadcaster Quinito Henson lambasted the decision, saying that through the years, the UAAP has sanctioned schools for lesser offenses.
The UAAP siding with Ateneo is downright unfair to the likes of Adamson, DLSU, and UST.
And it's not just him. Even Ateneo alumni are looking for answers and are disappointed with the way the school is handling the situation, to the point that some of them have accused the school of possibly dragging things out and letting the news die down.
Again, this tragedy should be a wake-up call for the school to clean house. If it is going to be spared from punishment, the least it can do is give the Blue Eagles a new look.
STATUS IN QUESTION
It's a given that Tab Baldwin will have to face the public regarding the tragic events that transpired in Aurora. However, he also needs to consider the other factors at play.
Aside from the police investigation, the congressional inquiries, and public scrutiny, people are calling for the revocation of his work permit. Heck, there is even the possibility of deportation. And what if he becomes criminally liable? Could a prison sentence be in the works?
Hazing may be a harsh term, but it feels as if what happened here falls somewhere along those lines. The students had to blindly follow the orders of the "master" to promote loyalty within the team. If they didn't comply, the consequences followed.
This is why the school administrators, the coaching staff, and the players aren't particularly keen on answering questions. And this has been happening for years now.
Also...
WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!?
This story just took a dark turn!!!
CULTURE CHANGE
This is the right time for the Ateneo Blue Eagles to change their current basketball culture. I mean, it's not like they have a choice.
As I said, this system has been happening for years now, and the best thing for the school to do is hire a coach from outside their sphere to set things right.
Or how about Norman Black?
Five championships in a row!
What Blue Eagle fan wouldn't want him as their new head coach?
Baldwin may be a legendary coach, but he is also intimidating as hell. He is an old-school coach with what some might perceive as a superiority complex, possibly stemming from the fact that he has coached teams in different parts of the globe.
And yeah, the government can enact whatever bill it wants, but in situations like these, a struggling student-athlete can't simply cite that, especially when his basketball future is on the line. It's either he does what your coach wants, or he ends up in the doghouse.
Baldwin has become too comfortable with his position, and the fact that the school officials have allowed the military-style training to continue for nearly a decade serves as proof. This is why what should have been a wake-up call, such as the alleged near-drowning of a former player, instead became an unfortunate precedent that led to the events that transpired earlier this week.
If he stays on as a consultant and one of his deputies takes over his game plan, will that person really be the coach of the team, or merely a puppet for his whims?
When Forthsky Padrigao left Ateneo for UST, the school said it was due to academic deficiencies. Padrigao, meanwhile, cited off-court circumstances.
However, when Mason Amos left Ateneo to join rival DLSU, one of the reasons he cited was that he wasn't happy at Ateneo. What triggered his move was DLSU coach Topex Robinson's player-friendly rapport with his team during the 2024 FilOil Preseason Cup. His transfer was reported after the tournament and, more importantly, after their training camp.
And when the shock move happened, Ateneo players, both current and former, felt betrayed by his departure.
Let it be known that in 2016, Cjay Perez also cut short his stint with the Blue Eagles to join Robinson at LPU.
Anyway, in the three seasons that Baldwin failed to make the UAAP Finals, Robinson made three Finals appearances, including championship runs in 2023 and 2025.
So that's the other thing about Baldwin. Maybe his military-commander approach worked when the team had Thirdy Ravena, Dave Ildefonso, SJ Belangel, Gian Mamuyac, Tyler Tio, and Will Navarro, but it might also be one of the reasons why the Blue Eagles are having trouble attracting and retaining other players.
RESULTS HAVEN'T BEEN THAT GOOD LATELY
And finally, we need to look at the stats.
Yes, under his guidance, the Blue Eagles have won four championships, including three consecutive titles, as well as made two Finals appearances in six seasons. That's a great résumé, without question. However, Ateneo has also failed to get past the elimination round in two consecutive seasons. Bo Perasol, the coach who preceded Baldwin, was able to lead the Blue Eagles to two Final Four appearances in three seasons, yet the community blasted those results.
TAB BALDWIN'S ATENEO RECORD
SEASON | W | L | RESULT | INDIVIDUAL AWARDS |
79 | 2016 | 10 | 4 | FINALS | THIRDY RAVENA | M5 |
80 | 2017 | 13 | 1 | CHAMPIONS | THIRDY RAVENA | M5 / FMVP |
81 | 2018 | 12 | 2 | CHAMPIONS | THIRDY RAVENA | FMVP |
82 | 2019 | 14 | 0 | CHAMPIONS | THIRDY RAVENA | FMVP |
84 | 2021 | 13 | 1 | FINALS | ANGE KOUAME | MVP/M5 |
85 | 2022 | 11 | 3 | CHAMPIONS | ANGE KOUAME | FMVP DAVE ILDEFONSO | M5 FORTHSKY PADRIGAO | M5 |
86 | 2023 | 7 | 7 | FINAL FOUR | |
87 | 2024 | 4 | 10 | ELIMS | |
88 | 2025 | 6 | 8 | ELIMS |
ATENEO PLAYERS WHO MADE THE PBA
UNDER COACH TAB BALDWIN
YEAR | PLAYER | RD | PK | TEAM |
2018 | KRIS PORTER | 2 | 16 | NLEX |
GBOY BABILONIA | 2 | 17 | ALASKA | |
2019 | ISAAC GO | SPECIAL | 1 | COLUMBIAN |
MATT NIETO | SPECIAL | 3 | NLEX | |
MIKE NIETO | SPECIAL | 5 | RAIN OR SHINE | |
ADRIAN WONG | 1 | 5 | RAIN OR SHINE | |
AARON BLACK | 2 | 18 | MERALCO | |
VINCE TOLENTINO | 2 | 19 | RAIN OR SHINE | |
2021 | WILL NAVARRO | SPECIAL | 2 | NORTHPORT |
ANTON ASISTIO | 2 | 22 | RAIN OR SHINE | |
2022 | GIAN MAMUYAC | 1 | 5 | RAIN OR SHINE |
TYLER TIO | 2 | 14 | PHOENIX | |
2023 | BJ ANDRADE | 1 | 10 | CONVERGE |
RAFFY VERANO | 2 | 16 | PHOENIX | |
MATTHEW DAVES | 3 | 28 | PHOENIX | |
INAND FORNILOS | 3 | 31 | CONVERGE | |
JOLO MENDOZA | 3 | 32 | MERALCO | |
PAT MAAGDENBERG | 3 | 33 | CONVERGE | |
TROY MALLILLIN | 3 | 35 | SAN MIGUEL | |
ANDRE FLORES | 9 | 75 | CONVERGE | |
2024 | KAI BALLUNGAY | 1 | 4 | PHOENIX |
DAVE ILDEFONSO | 1 | 5 | NORTHPORT | |
PAUL GARCIA | 3 | 34 | GINEBRA | |
2025 | GEO CHIU | 1 | 1 | TERRAFIRMA |
CHRIS KOON | 1 | 4 | NORTHPORT | |
GAB GOMEZ | 3 | 30 | MAGNOLIA | |
SEAN QUITEVIS | 3 | 35 | TNT |
INTERNATIONAL ATENEO PLAYERS
UNDER COACH TAB BALDWIN
DEBUT | PLAYER | LEAGUE | TEAM |
2020 | THIRDY RAVENA | J B.LEAGUE | SANEN NEOPHOENIX |
2022 | SJ BELANGEL | KBL | DAEGU KOGAS PEGASUS |
2023 | DAVE ILDEFONSO | KBL | SUWON KT SONICBOOM |
2023 | ANGELO KOUAME | NM1 (FRANCE) | UB CHARTES METROPOLE |
2024 | GEO CHIU | J B.LEAGUE | EHIME ORANGE VIKINGS |
2025 | WILL NAVARRO | KBL | BUSAN KCC EGIS |
While Baldwin's methods produced results at the start, it feels like this season marks the beginning of his make-or-break period. Yes, Ateneo has resisted the temptation to pirate players from other schools, but it has since incorporated one-and-done players into its system, such as Kymani Ladi, Jaden Lazo, and Dom Escobar in Season 88, as well as Travis Roberts and EJ Kapihe in Season 89.
One-and-done players may be high-profile acquisitions, but they are essentially band-aid solutions because the program needs a core for the future. Rene Baterbonia should have been that guy, but judging from the events that have transpired, coupled with Ateneo's strict academic policies, I don't think Ateneo will be a viable destination for top prospects until meaningful changes are made.
I am not hating on Tab Baldwin, but this needs to be done to restore Ateneo as a responsible institution.
In terms of accountability, he's right up there. Only he can fully defend himself in this situation.
I understand that he is under a gag order, but even if the issue dies down in the coming weeks, I bet it will go full throttle the moment UAAP Season 89 gets underway.
This is why I can't picture him standing in front of the bench, shouting at referees, getting angry with his players, or simply watching the game from the Ateneo dugout at MOA Arena or Araneta Coliseum.
Maybe we can call all the booing and cursing directed at him, along with all the hateful comments on social media, penance for what happened in Aurora, but it's a massive boulder that's now strapped to his back.
Yes, since the days of Enrico Villanueva, LA Tenorio, and Rich Alvarez, Ateneo has been in the thick of the championship race. However, the school must also recognize that it needs to reclaim the respect it once had after this incident, and the only way it can do that is through reforms and a rebuild.
As much as he is arguably the best coach in the UAAP today in terms of accomplishments and legacy, he is also replaceable.
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