By NIKOLE JAVIER
A visit from the alumni in practice lit the fire and inspired the Blue Eagles’ Game 2 showing, revealed Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin.
Ateneo, which received a surprise appearance from its former players, arrived at the second installment of its best-of-three affair with University of the Philippines with confidence running high and made sure to complete the task to eke out a 65-55 game-tying series win.
For Baldwin, his former players’ “impact was extraordinary” to the current lineup seeking its own redemption.
“They organized it. That was a surprise to me when they came in. Of course, it was a very welcome surprise. We have precious few chances to see all of them together. And I mean, even Will Navarro is there, the news is he has an ACL injury. So, sad news for Will. But he was there as well. So they organized it,” said Baldwin.
Navarro, whose rookie year in the pro rank suddenly hit the brakes following an ACL injury, didn’t miss the opportunity to stand before the successor of their legacy.
Despite the circumstances, Baldwin was glad to have all the support he could bring around and what’s one more from the same players who brought glory to Ateneo in the past.
The 64-year-old tactician deemed their legacy a sign of “brotherhood” that felt very much alive in those moments especially heading into Game 2.
“And I don’t think this team has had the opportunity to embed that, that philosophy. pandemic, abbreviated preseasons, losing last season. We just haven’t embedded it. It came to life on Monday. On Monday night, it was real. It was alive. It was personified. In the exact people who built it. Powerful. I was overwhelmed,” added Baldwin.
For rookie Kai Ballungay, the pieces of advice spoken evidently hit him the hardest which led to his solid Game 2 outing that boosted Ateneo’s chances to reclaim the championship title.
“It started Monday when the alumni came and spoke to the team. You know, it was really special. Not only for the team but for myself especially. Just you know, hearing their stories, the Nieto brothers, Navarro, all those guys,” said Ballungay.
After a dismal Game 1 performance, Ballungay wanted to take action in the next match and redeem himself.
“And you know, they were able to instill in me a lot of things that they witnessed, things that they experienced in their career, I really took that to heart and show that type of brotherhood. Something that we can live up to. What they did in years past. Game 1 didn’t go the way I wanted it, the way this team wanted it, the way this team wanted it. But coming in tonight, I just wanted to impact the game any way I could. Whether that be on the glass, scoring, or whatever it is. I just wanted to help this team,” added Ballungay.
For the veteran mentor, the pressure to deliver is just as present as the inspiration ahead of the decider of their fate.
“Been in a few Game 3s, there’s a lot of pressure. I said in the beginning. You see that UP crowd, it is s a lot of pressure, I’m glad I coach Ateneo. We’re not gonna give anything away. We’re gonna come to fight. We have every reason in the world to fight, to believe,” Baldwin concluded.