WHO else but reigning three-time champion Ateneo?
Coaches of the other teams are convinced the Blue Eagles are the solid favorites in the 84th UAAP basketball tournament kicking off this weekend in a bubble.
But Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin differed, insisting a tight battle should be expected in all the squads’ bid to reach the Promised Land due to the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re going into the season trying to be cohesive. We don’t know a lot about our opponents because of a lack of pre-season games and I think that’s a disadvantage. But I also think that every team has to adjust to the same thing,” Baldwin said yesterday as the league was launched in a press conference at the TV5 Media Center in Mandaluyong.
“At the end of the day, there’s a lot of unknown as we start this season and it’s a whole new experience for the teams and the fans,” he added.
The Blue Eagles launch their bid for a fourth straight title when they tangle with the University of the Philippines on Saturday behind closed doors at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay.
Gone for Ateneo are Thirdy Ravena, Isaac Go, twins Matt GAMES and Mike Nieto, and William Navarro.
Six-foot-10 naturalized Filipino big man Ange Kouame, skipper Gian Mamuyac, SJ Belangel, and returnees Jolo Mendoza and Raffy Verano will carry the fight for the Eagles.
With new tactician Goldwin Monteverde, the Fighting Maroons are seen as one of the teams to give Ateneo a big challenge in its four-peat bid.
UP will bank on prized transferee CJ Cansino and blue-chip recruits Carl Tamayo, Terrence Fortea, and Gerry Abadiano and Ricci Rivero.
Also tagged as contenders are La Salle and Far Eastern University.
The Green Archers, under veteran strategist Derrick Pumaren, will rely on Gilas Pilipinas national team training pool member Justine Baltazar and guards Evan Nelle and Mark Nonoy, formerly of San Beda University and University of Santo Tomas, respectively.
The Olsen Racela-mentored Tamaraws will pin their hopes on LJ Gonzales, RJ Abarrientos, and Nigerian import Emmanuel Ojuola.
