Camille Naredo

Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin. UAAP Media

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UAAP

Paige Javier

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1781272336407UAAP87 MBB - HC TAB BALDWIN-2447.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin. UAAP Media"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin.<em> UAAP Media</em></span></span></span></div><p>MANILA – Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin has been through a lot of highs and lows in his life, but he said Friday that nothing could prepare him for the death of his players.</p><p>Baldwin has been silent since Monday, the same day his players Divine Adili and Rene Baterbonia died in a drowning incident during their team building activity in Dipaculao, Aurora. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/6/8/uaap-ateneo-s-adili-baterbonia-pass-away-in-drowning-incident-1959">READ: Ateneo’s Adili, Baterbonia pass away in drowning incident</a></div><p>In his first live interview since the tragic incident, Baldwin said has experienced loss before in his life but this one is different. </p><p>&quot;I&#x27;ve lost my best friend, I&#x27;ve lost my closest brother. But not in these tragic circumstances. I know loss. But I don&#x27;t think I know it to this degree. And so I, you try to do it the best you can,&quot; Baldwin said on the Homer Says Podcast on Powcast Sports on Friday. </p><p>&quot;There&#x27;s nothing in life that could prepare me for this. When I look at my players, they&#x27;re so much younger. I feel horrible for them and what they experienced. Life goes on, you have to cope. I have a family, I have to be there for them. But nothing is easy,&quot; he added. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/6/12/-i-failed-as-a-leader-as-a-coach-says-baldwin-as-he-breaks-silence-on-adili-baterbonia-s-death-1935">READ: ‘I failed as a leader, as a coach,’ says Baldwin as he breaks silence on Adili, Baterbonia’s deaths</a></div><p>Baldwin admitted the past few days have been a struggle, as he continues to try to make sense of what happened, while being there for his team. </p><p>&quot;To be perfectly honest, there&#x27;s moments of clarity I guess where I feel like there&#x27;s light at the end of the tunnel. And there&#x27;s time that there&#x27;s not. There&#x27;s just darkness,&quot; he shared. </p><p>&quot;There&#x27;s been a tremendous amount of support coming through from friends and people that support the team. I just keep saying it shouldn&#x27;t be about me. It should be about the prayers we need to keep saying for the souls of the two players. It&#x27;s about what we can do to bring the comfort to the family,&quot; Baldwin added. </p><p>More than his own grief, the 68-year-old mentor said he knows the incident weighs heavier on his young players, whom he has been checking on online. </p><p>Baldwin made his first public appearance on Thursday, when he attended the candle-lighting vigil for Adili and Baterbonia inside the Ateneo de Manila University. </p><p>&quot;Last night, I was able to see all the players. I think what you see is what you expect to see. Some of them seem pretty good, some of them seem not good at all. And some of them I&#x27;m sure are cloaking their real feelings. The University has offered all of us guidance counselors, grief counselors. And I think we all had conversations with them,&quot; he said. </p><p>&quot;But to outward appearances, they&#x27;re not as bad as they were in the immediate aftermath. We were in shock. Last night they were clearly focused on the loss in the mass. After that there were hugs, there were tears. Maybe that was cathartic. But maybe we need more of that and talking things through,&quot; Baldwin added. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/sports/basketball/2026/6/9/psc-forms-multi-stakeholder-body-after-death-of-ateneo-student-athletes-1140">READ: PSC forms multi-stakeholder body after deaths of Ateneo student-athletes</a></div><p>The Ateneo head coach also elaborated on Ateneo&#x27;s statement wherein it said that they requested Baldwin to refrain from speaking publicly to let the processes go on. </p><p>&quot;There was more than a request. Their determination was not just me, all of us involved, should refrain from any public pronouncements, any discussions with media, any posts on social media As much as I would have loved to tell what happened, to be perfectly honest, I don&#x27;t think I was very capable at that time to recount the details and reliving the horror I saw,&quot; Baldwin said.  </p><p>&quot;I felt at that time my focus should be on the loss of the two boys and the families. So it was responsible of me and correct of me to comply with Ateneo&#x27;s direction,&quot; he added. </p><p>Just minutes before the interview, Baldwin spoke up for the first time in a recorded statement released on the University&#x27;s  page. </p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="960" height="540" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q6dGkiMTes0?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>&quot;It was designed to speak to the families, to try and I guess say the things I probably wasn&#x27;t capable of saying in the immediate aftermath. To say the things that are in my heart&quot; he said. </p><p>&quot;As head coach of the team, it&#x27;s kind of incumbent on me to stand before the families of the team and speak to them. It&#x27;s probably a poor attempt. Because the magnitude of what happened, the depth of emotion I am feeling is profound. But you know I can&#x27;t, as badly as I feel, I can&#x27;t guess how the families feel,&quot; Baldwin added. </p><p>The champion mentor called on the public to continue praying for Adili and Baterbonia, as well as their families and loved ones who were left behind. </p><p>Baterbonia&#x27;s remains have been flown back to Davao City, while a candle-light service will be held for Adili with viewing in Ateneo&#x27;s Loyola campus starting on Saturday.  </p>

<p>Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin has been through a lot of highs and lows in his life, but he said Friday that nothing could prepare him for the death of his players.</p>

Ateneo Blue Eagles head coach Tab Baldwin has been through a lot of highs and lows in his life, but he said Friday that nothing could prepare him for the death of his players.

Baldwin on Adili, Baterbonia deaths: 'Nothing in life can prepare me for this'

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Basketball

Baldwin on Adili, Baterbonia deaths: 'Nothing in life can prepare me for this'

Paige Javier,

ABS-CBN News

Published June 12, 2026 09:54 PM PHT

Read More:

Basketball

Tab Baldwin

Ateneo Blue Eagles

Divine Adili

Rene Baterbonia

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