By MARK REY MONTEJO
Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin paid tribute to his team – the Blue Eagles – and University of Santo Tomas after both teams figured in a tense and gripping game in the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament at the Blue Eagle Gym over the weekend.
For him, it was a classic one as both teams exhibited great character.
But the fiery mentor did not hold back as he criticized what he referred to as a “third team” during the match that ended in triple overtime – a first in the league in a long while.
Without naming names, the veteran mentor slammed some individuals whose showing he called as “disgusting”.
“The game itself was, you know, disappointing in terms of the result, but I can’t be anything but proud of the effort of both teams. I thought they displayed phenomenal character…,” said Baldwin.
“There’s a third team out there and I thought their performance was disgusting,” he added.
Perhaps to avoid being called out, the “third team” the 67-year-old Baldwin was referring to was the referees as there were several calls that went against their way at crunch time.
Despite the loss, Ateneo saw semblance of respect and promise with Jared Bahay leading the charge, hitting crucial baskets that kept the Eagles alive up until they lost steam in the third extension.
With its win, UST strengthened its campaign with a 4-1 card in second place, while Ateneo absorbed its second straight loss for a 4-2 slate.
After a week-long rest, the Katipunan-based team is up for a tough final first-round task as it faces current leader National University (5-1) Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
“We’ve got a week now to prepare for NU. So, we’ll be good. We’ve got our energy back,”
Baldwin concluded. “We’ll have our minds focused on the job and put this one behind us and focus on the only thing that matters now is NU.”
