Eagles defense, drum roll mark Tab’s debut

Gilas Pilipinas coach Tab Baldwin got his first taste of action in the UAAP with Ateneo Sunday and he generally liked what he saw and heard – well, everything but the noisy drum rolls in the venue.

Baldwin, who serves as consultant to coach Sandy Arespacochaga, debuted on a high note as the Blue Eagles hurdled host University of Santo Tomas, 73-69, banking on a big fourth-quarter run to seize control in the back-and-forth opening-day duel.

“Both teams were a little tentative at first but both teams played extremely hard. Both teams’ efforts were exemplary and you have to expect that in the UAAP,” Baldwin said.

The Kiwi-American took notice of the Eagles’ defensive efforts but stressed they have to get better underneath the boards.

“Certainly our defense was solid, lot of effort behind the defense that held them down to 30 percent shooting but our rebounding was atrocious. If we can’t rebound better than that, we’ll have a long UAAP,” he said, noting how AdMU gave up 23 offensive rebounds to UST.

He said UST committed a tactical mistake when it played zone defense.

“I think that played into our hands, although we shot just 20 percent from the three-point line.”

Baldwin, meanwhile, didn’t find the atmosphere generated by deafening drums inside the arena to his liking.

“Look, I would be a lot more impressed if the noise was coming from fans instead of a bunch of drums. I don’t really believe in artificial noise in indoor stadiums. I think we have very enthusiastic and energetic fans and it would be nice to hear them,” he said.

“It would be nice if a team that’s on a run be supported by the fans instead of the other teams banging drums so players can’t communicate on the floor, and the coaches can’t communicate with players. To be perfectly honest, it’s farcical because basketball is a game of communication,” he added.