MANILA -- Ateneo men’s basketball head coach Tab Baldwin projects a quicker and more versatile Blue Eagles style of play moving forward, with the additions of Sacred Heart School – Ateneo de Cebu standouts Raffy Celis and Michael Asoro.

The American-Kiwi tactician spoke highly of the duo’s ability to play two-way basketball, and is excited for them to join the Blue Eagles when they open their UAAP title-retention bid.

“Anyone who (has) watched these guys recently have seen their transition offensively, and they (have seen) their versatility defensively. We would like our whole team to reflect that style of play,” Baldwin said during the announcement press conference for the two Magis Eagles on Monday.

The Blue Eagles will be ushering a new era without big man Ange Kouame when Season 86 unfolds, and Baldwin already has a succession plan involving the two new stalwarts.

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“I think our frontline will get a little bit smaller, our guard lineup might get a little bit bigger, and the speed of the game might be a little bit faster. This is how we project going forward, which as I said, kind of shadows how the whole game of basketball is going these days,” he said.

Particularly for Asoro, Baldwin mentioned steadily transforming the 6-foot-3 forward into a wing man who can also handle the ball – a mold similar to those of Dave Ildefonso and Gian Mamuyac.

“Michael is capable of rebounding, but his role in the future will probably be more of a perimeter-oriented and we have plans with Mike to develop him into a point guard, I believe,” Baldwin shared.

“He obviously has been a great shooter for the Magis Eagles, and one of the tougher perimeter defenders around, (so) he’s a great fit for our program.”

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Meanwhile, Celis, the NBTC No. 21-ranked high school player in the country, is expected to bring in more versatility to the lineup when Baldwin goes to his slightly smaller, non-prototypical rotations on the floor.

“Raffy, everybody saw what he did in the NBTC against high level competition … both of these guys can score, but the fact that they’re both two-way players is what I love. They play defense with that sort of provincial toughness that I really admire about Filipino basketball players,” Baldwin said.

The four-time UAAP champion coach furthered that such adjustments are part of a long-term transition plan to adapt to a faster style with the Blue Eagles adding more pieces who can play multiple positions.

In order to ensure that, Ateneo is banking on SHS-Ateneo, as Baldwin described Celis and Asoro’s arrival in Katipunan as a “culmination of the relationship” with the Magis Eagles program, with the two serving as bridges, and the “beginning of the special relationship.”

The mentor gave credit to SHS-Ateneo’s long-time head coach Rommel Rasmo too, as he has been at the forefront of the Magis Eagles’ player development right from the high school level.

“I think what’s happening if you watch the Ateneo program, we’re starting to sort of shadow what’s going on in the world of basketball in terms of how our team looks. To be specific, we’re losing Ange Kouame this year, we’ll replace him with Joseph Obasa,” Baldwin said.

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“But after that, Obasa will graduate, and our foreign player will be about 6-foot-7, 6-foot-8, and we now have a wide variety of players who I think coach Rommel is doing a great job of producing. That’s a lot of 6-foot-6 players which give us a lot of versatility, in terms of how we play and the speed of the game, ability to defend all of the floor.”

When Celis and Asoro start their careers in the top-flight collegiate tournament in the country, Baldwin vowed the Ateneo faithful will be seeing a version of the Blue Eagles and a system they have not been accustomed to yet.

“I promise you that they will add something to our program that we currently don’t have,” he said. “We need more of them, It’s a great sight. They’ve really shown Manila that they’re ready to get going and I’m excited for them.”

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