UP head coach Goldwin Monteverde is grateful for the opportunity of facing one of the country’s best shotcallers in Ateneo’s Tab Baldwin.

Monteverde, who led the Fighting Maroons to their first UAAP championship in 2021 after almost four decades, expressed his admiration to Baldwin, who continues to bring in his wealth of experience to the Blue Eagles.

“For me, siyempre, I would really learn a lot. We know the program that Coach Tab (Baldwin) does for Ateneo. We cannot approach the game relaxed,” said Monteverde after the Fighting Maroons’s 75-47 romp of the Blue Eagles.

“I really admire him as a coach. The way he runs his program at Ateneo and definitely competing against him, I really learned a lot,” he added.

It can be recalled that two coaches duked it out in the Season 84 Finals where UP prevailed in three games for its first title since 1986. The following year, both teams clashed anew in the championship round, but the Blue Eagles avenged their defeat also in a do-or-die match.

“We really need to prepare for it. During the course of the game, things will just fall into place,” Monteverde continued. “You should be able to react. The coach that he is.”With its bridesmaids finish last year, 

The Fighting Maroons were on a roll and secured their three-game win streak after a dominant 75-47 win over the Blue Eagles last Oct. 30. It was their ninth win against a lone defeat to stay at second place in the standings.

Despite getting a strong chance at bagging one of the two twice-to-beat bonuses come the Final Four, the 53-year-old coach insisted that his players should avoid complacency and as much as possible do their best in every game.

“Siguro for us, since day one ‘yong hunger namin nando’n na since day 1. Syempre tao rin may mga times na trying to be ready to the game but things not fall sa mga gusto mo,” Monteverde stressed.

“So sa amin, siguro kung anong dumating, basta kami will just have to do our best to be ready sa mga coming games namin. And how we adjust to it, yun ang importante sa amin.” he added.

UP aims to notch its fourth straight win when it collides with NU (2-8) this Sunday, Nov. 3, at UST Quadricentennial Pavilion.