By NIKOLE JAVIER 

Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin did not hold back when he called out Dave Ildefonso and Bj Andrade about their roles in the team. 

The three-time UAAP champion coach didn’t wait for the first round of the men’s tournament to be over when he expressed his dismay about Ildefonso and Andrade being “lazy leaders” and challenged them to become more proactive with their duties. 

Unlike SJ Belangel, Gian Mamuyac and Tyler Tio who all went pro after the UAAP Season 84, Ildefonso and Andrade opted to complete their last playing year for Ateneo with a redemption pipeline to be fulfilled. 

“In the practice, he pulled us together, Bj and I, he just really talked about how pivotal we are and he called us 'lazy leaders.' Lazy leaders and you know I’ve always been kind of shy to be lead-by-example kind of player and Bj is like that too,” revealed the 6-foot-3 Ildefonso.

 “Coach Tab pulled us in and talked to us and that won’t work for this team. We had a talk, Bj and I, we try to make that transition and hopefully through these next practices, through these next games, we’ll be better leaders in the eyes of the great coach Tab.”

As if the callout did wonders, Ildefonso pulled up for a 20-point performance while Andrade had 11 points to go along with eight rebounds as a response in their 91-76 victory over University of the East last Oct. 23.

With the win, the Blue Eagles climbed to a 5-2 record heading into the second round of hostilities on Saturday, Oct. 29, against Adamson. 

Likewise, Baldwin is hopeful of their chances of earning a seat in the playoffs. 

 “We’re getting better, we’re growing, we’re learning. That’s what you’re supposed to do over the course of the season. Second round’s gonna be competitive and challenging. But we feel good. We feel good about our team. We’re ready to go,” said Baldwin. 

“Our team was reflective at that moment. It was clear to me. So, the response I think is internal. It’s something that we try to breathe into our program, we try to breathe into the players.” 

In the same manner, the Blue Eagles have also been going out of their way to get reigning Most Valuable Player Ange Kouame in their ball rotation after finishing in the leaderboard as the most defensive player in rebounds and blocks, averaging 11.43 and 2.57 per contest, respectively.

“We’re trying to get Ange in really because we have that much belief in him. We just tried to share the ball more, get the good spots and get great opportunities for us,” said Ildefonso.