MANILA, Philippines — “Expect us to play well.”
Those were the words of coach Tab Baldwin back in Season 81 when Ateneo last tasted a loss.
That was Oct. 10, 2018, a rainy Wednesday afternoon at the Mall of Asia Arena, when the Eagles, then riding the momentum of a five-game streak after a tough opener loss against Adamson, got decked again in a 60-63 defeat versus FEU at the close of the first round of elims play.
That was the last time the Eagles were grounded as they have since taken flight, soared mightily and gone unbeaten in an epic feat.
With their gritty 86-79 win over the Santo Tomas Tigers Wednesday, the Ateneo Eagles stretched their perfect run to 26 games over a period of 58 weeks, completing a sweet 16-0 sweep in Season 82 for their third straight UAAP crown.
And Baldwin and his Eagles distinguished themselves as the first team to score a season mop-up in the league’s Final Four era.
For the Kiwi-American mentor who has been around the world including the Olympics and handled some of the best national and club teams before assuming the Ateneo coaching job in 2015, all the praises should to go to his wards who have put all the work every day to realize this historic achievement.
“They’re so much more than basketball players,” said Baldwin on his quick thought on his beloved Eagles as he tried to find words while still basking on the culmination of a dream season.
“They can make testimony themselves about what this season has meant to them but for me, it made me a better person. Working with these guys every day, it makes me a better person because of the quality of their character because of the work rate that they have. It humbles me.”
Since their last defeat, Baldwin has demanded perfection from his squad every practice, every game, every day.
Baldwin wanted no stone unturned amidst the Eagles’ smooth sailing preparations in the off-season that included international camps in Greece, Singapore and Australia, as well as a dominant championship run in the stacked 20-team PBA D-League earlier this year.
“Believe me, there’s a lot of nights that I go home and feel bad about the demands I put on these guys and sometimes the way I do it. I know I’m not always the nicest guy in the room,” he admitted. “So it’s very humbling when these men sacrifice their ego, they sacrifice their time. What they don’t sacrifice is their love for the game. They lay it out there every day. I think this is the result of that.”
The Eagles indeed reaped a fitting result just like Baldwin’s promise last year that they would play well after their stinging defeat to the Tams.
Four hundred and six days, or nearly 10,000 hours later at the same venue, Ateneo played well indeed and even beyond imagination as they soared to unparalleled heights for their third straight and 11th overall crown.
The day was Nov. 20, 2019, a starry Wednesday night when “A Song for Mary” lorded over the sea of blue that packed the MOA Arena to celebrate Ateneo’s 26th straight, and the most important win of all.