10/06/2026
SHAUN ILDEFONSO AT MIKE NIETO SINABING PINAKA WORST WEEK DAW NILA ANG BOOT CAMP TRAINING NI COACH TAB BALDWIN SA ATENEO DATI!
ATENEO coach Tab Baldwin's grueling preseason training camps slash team building have come under scrutiny following the Aurora tragedy that claimed the lives of Blue Eagles youngsters Rene Baterbonia and Divine Adili.
Interviews with former Blue Eagles have resurfaced on social media highlighting the experiences the players had to endure in the buildup to the UAAP basketball season that some believe is more boot camp than training camp or team building.
The tough environment that these players faced during that 'hell week' was best described by Baldwin himself in an interview shortly after winning the first of his four UAAP championships with the Blue Eagles in 2017.
Baldwin explained the camp, inspired by a book written by legendary Texas A&M football coach Paul 'Bear' Bryant, was designed to 'break the men.'
"It was the worst week of our lives," former Blue Eagles standout Mike Nieto, describing the preseason camp in that 2017 interview.
In the hours after news of the two Ateneo players' deaths was announced, this SPIN piece from 2017 as well as recent interviews of former Ateneo players were dug up by netizens, obviously trying to learn about the nature of the Aurora camp where the accident happened.
However, until an investigation is completed, there is no certainty that the Ateneo camp held on Monday was similar to the preseason training held by the Blue Eagles in this same location in the past.
"Para siyang boot camp talaga, sa beachfront kami. Parang pang-sundalo," said former Ateneo player Shaun Ildefonso in a guesting on the Balyahan podcast with PBA and Gilas Pilipinas great Ranidel de Ocampo and GB Labrador.
"One week kami magkakasama tapos hindi mo alam kung kailan kayo gigisingin," said Mike Nieto in another episode.
The players recounted being taken to a resort in Aurora where their cellphones were confiscated for the week during the training camp that involved no basketball but tested each player's commitment and resolve to the limit.
During those activities, the players had no idea what time they will be woken up - with sirens being blown as early as 3 a.m. - and they also didn't know what's in store for them for the day, with grueling challenges pushing them to their limits.
Most harrowing of those, as recounted by Ildefonso and former teammate Anton Asistio, were the close shaves, particularly that experienced by Gboy Babilonia, who didn't know how to swim.
"Hindi marunong lumangoy yung beterano namin. Si coach Tab na mismo ang sumalba sa kanya sa takot niyang makaaksidente siya ng player," said Nieto.
Source: SPIN. PH
