‘No champion of anything’: Blue Eagles head to UAAP title defense sans core

MANILA, Philippines – The Ateneo Blue Eagles will try to defend its UAAP men’s basketball championship in the upcoming Season 86 without their key cogs.

Ateneo lost key players who helped the team take the championship last season — guards Forthsky Padrigao and BJ Andrade, forward Dave Ildefonso and center Ange Kouame.

Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin acknowledged that the team is new and that they will try to take the tournament one game at a time.

“So this new team is not a champion of anything. And we practiced, practiced since January,” Baldwin told reporters on Wednesday.

“We practiced hard and that’s the nature of our preparation, trying to get these guys as much experience as quickly as possible,” he added.

The American-Kiwi mentor said he is expecting the team to grow and mature throughout the season.

“[I expect] probably a different team from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. We gotta grow and develop and mature a lot, through our experience of the first round.”

Kai Ballungay and rookie Mason Amos are expected to lead the squad this season.

“Hopefully we come out of the first round with enough wins to compete for a playoff spot by the end of the season,” Baldwin continued.

Ateneo will be facing NU on Saturday in the Season 86 opener at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

"The only team I'm worried about is NU, it’s our opening game," Baldwin said. 

"We all know how tough NU is gonna be, and I expect that we’re gonna get the brunt of them on Saturday so we have to be ready for that," he added.