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UAAP: Ateneo hails Baldwin as 'the greatest' after title triumph

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Camille B. Naredo, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="The Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) wins as champion over the University of the Philippines (UP) during the UAAP season 85 men" s="" basketball="" finals="" in="" a="" deciding="" match="" Quezon="" City="" on="" December="" Mark="" ABS-CBN="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/life/12/21/20221219-uaap85-finals-game3-1md_3877-md.jpg"/><figcaption>The Ateneo De Manila University (ADMU) wins as champion over the University of the Philippines (UP) during the UAAP season 85 men&#x27;s basketball finals in a deciding match in Quezon City on December 19, 2022. <em>Mark Demayo, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA, Philippines -- For Ateneo de Manila University, its conquest of the UAAP Season 85 men&#x27;s basketball tournament should answer all questions and silence all doubts regarding coach Tab Baldwin. </p><p>Ateneo unseated the University of the Philippines (UP) from the pinnacle of the UAAP, completing a comeback in the best-of-3 finals after holding on for a 75-68 triumph in Game 3 on Monday night.</p><p>The Fighting Maroons had won the series opener, 72-66, but couldn&#x27;t get the job done this time around as their Katipunan rivals imposed their will in the next two contests. For the Blue Eagles, their triumph is a testament to the work of their coach, who maximized every ounce of talent in the squad.</p><p>&quot;He [Tab] rebuilt this team, like, for real,&quot; said Ange Kouame, who earned Finals MVP honors after a sensational three-game series against UP where he out-played his counterpart, Malick Diouf. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/12/19/22/ateneo-holds-off-up-to-regain-uaap-mens-basketball-crown">READ: Ateneo holds off UP to regain UAAP men&#x27;s basketball crown</a></li></ul><p>&quot;And I&#x27;m surprised that you guys still think about his ability to coach. He&#x27;s the best coach I ever had. I don&#x27;t know, like, come on? Put respect on his name, man,&quot; the center added. </p><p>&quot;Do you see our team? Beginning of the season, in the preseason. A lot of people were talking so much smack about our team. Look at us now, look at were we are. It&#x27;s because of him. We really appreciate everything about him, because for us, he&#x27;s the best coach ever.&quot;</p><p>Kouame acknowledged that even the players had their doubts at the start of Season 85. They had been dethroned in painful fashion in Season 84, falling prey to JD Cagulangan&#x27;s buzzer-beating, championship-winning triple.</p><p>Ateneo then lost several core players to the professional ranks, including SJ Belangel who left early to play in the Korean Basketball League. Before Season 85, Baldwin himself felt that they were a tier below UP and De La Salle University. </p><p>&quot;But you know, in Tab we trust,&quot; said Kouame. &quot;Coach Tab is the man. He showed us the way, and we followed his lead, and this is where we ended.&quot;</p><p>Dave Ildefonso pulled no punches as he called Baldwin the &quot;GOAT&quot; -- the greatest of all time.</p><p>&quot;The GOAT, oh my goodness. He helped me all throughout. I went to Ateneo just to be able to learn from him, and just to be able to win, and be in a winning culture. Thankfully, I&#x27;m a part of that now, and I just wanna say and give credit so much to Coach Tab and all my teammates,&quot; said Ildefonso.</p><p>But Baldwin was quick to deflect credit, instead heaping praise on his players, particularly his graduating veterans. </p><p>&quot;I mean, I can&#x27;t imagine coaching without Ange Kouame. I&#x27;ll wake up tomorrow, and Ange won&#x27;t be on my team. You know, what do I do? BJ&#x27;s been with me, it seems like, since he was in diapers. It seems like,&quot; he said. </p><p>&quot;And I won&#x27;t go into all those stresses and pressures that [Dave] was under, but man, that guy. If he has a bigger fan than me, it&#x27;s probably mom or dad. And I&#x27;ll leave it at that. I will go to war with that guy any time,&quot; he added.</p><p>Baldwin has steered Ateneo to the UAAP finals in every season that he&#x27;s been in charge of the team -- a run of six consecutive appearances. In that stretch, they have won four championships, including a perfect 16-0 campaign in Season 82.</p><div><strong>UAAP Season 85 is streaming on iWantTFC every Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, available for Premium users outside the Philippines.</strong></div><p>Related video:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/uqmPFY--TdA?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

For the Ateneo Blue Eagles, their conquest of UAAP Season 85 should answer all questions and silence all doubts regarding their coach, Tab Baldwin.

UAAP: Ateneo hails Baldwin as 'the greatest' after title triumph

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UAAP: Ateneo hails Baldwin as 'the greatest' after title triumph

Camille B. Naredo,

ABS-CBN News

Published December 21, 2022 05:18 PM PHT

Read More:

basketball

UAAP

UAAP Season 85

UAAP basketball

Ateneo Blue Eagles

Tab Baldwin

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