Recommended Video
It’s time for Ateneo’s one-and-done stars to spread their wings.
Dom Escobar and Kymani Ladi entered the Philippines knowing little about what to expect from Ateneo de Manila University and the UAAP Men’s Basketball Tournament.
It turns out that they would be treated to the experience of a lifetime, being given the chance to play high-level hoops in the Philippines, along with getting the prestigious chance to be mentored by the legendary Tab Baldwin.
Now, as they end their short stay in Katipunan, Ladi and Escobar are just grateful to have called themselves Blue Eagles. In putting on Ateneo’s iconic blue and white threads, the two stars were able to experience the famed “BEBOB” (Blue Eagles Band of Brothers) culture, along with picking up countless lessons to apply in their professional hoops careers.
“For me, it’s been a long year, technically two, but for some reason it was quick. It was even probably quicker for Dom and Jaden…I don’t think we really understood how much we were going to miss it,” Ladi said after Ateneo’s season-ending loss to the DLSU Green Archers last Wednesday at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
“Jaden said in the locker room that we had our practice, and we never really thought that it was going to be our last practice with each other. You know? It’s those moments that will really stick with us way past this year — it’s gonna stick with us for the rest of our lives.”
Ladi and Escobar were as good as advertised in their lone season with the Blue Eagles, emerging as the focal points of Ateneo’s offense for Season 88. A lanky forward, Ladi averaged a team-high 14.29 points accompanied by 7.07 rebounds across eliminations. Escobar, a big guard from Cal State LA, put up 11.03 markers along with 6.93 boards to backstop Ladi.
The two seniors were crucial to Ateneo’s 4-0 start to the season, headlined by a 81-74 over the Green Archers last October 6. While the Eagles finished with a 6-8 record, there was no doubt that their play sparked hopes of a resurgence in Katipunan.
“Since high school, the system that I had in LA was very minimal, so a lot of what I learned was just on my own. So coming here, I became so much of a better basketball player because Coach Tab questioned me everyday and really tested me everyday,” Escobar said.
“Mentally he really gets into our heads and asks this team deeper questions about basketball, and I really appreciate that. I feel like he’s really expanded my knowledge on basketball, and I can truly say that through his program, I’ve become so much better than before I came here.”
Ladi added that being an Atenean means being part of a long-standing brotherhood, one that he described as a “collective team.” As mentioned, Ateneo has established the “BEBOB” culture under Baldwin, where past Blue Eagles remain as a shoulder to lean on for their successors.
Wednesday’s game against DLSU had Ange Kouame and Raffy Verano cheering on the Blue Eagles at the Big Dome, while other alumni also took the initiative to brief the one-and-dones about the gravity of the Ateneo-DLSU rivalry. In Season 87, several BEBOB alumni also visited the Blue Eagles to give much-needed advice and real talk.
“I didn’t know what to expect first coming out here, but I really started to get what Ateneo was really like, especially going to classes and knowing what BEBOB really was, how the team dynamic was; because honestly, growing up, I don’t think I was really part of a collective team,” Ladi reflected.
“You see players coming in to practice who were from teams years ago, and that just shows a lot about what the community is like, and how they are there for you during the worst times.”
Up next, the pros
With their Ateneo careers now over, up next for Dom Escobar and Kymani Ladi will be the pursuit of their professional basketball dreams. In the case of Ladi, the next month might even see him suit up for Gilas Pilipinas in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games, provided that there will be no more last-minute changes from the organizers.
“My dream is to pursue professional basketball, the question is just where right now. I’m still undecided, so I’ll leave it in God’s hands and I’ll see where it takes me,” Escobar shared.
Added Ladi, “Same as Dom, I’m just ready for any opportunity, and I just thank God for giving me this opportunity [to play in Ateneo]…so I’m just ready for whatever comes my way, and I’ll take whatever I’ve learned here in Ateneo and carry it to wherever I go next.”
Wherever their wings will take them, the duo will always have a home and a community over in Katipunan, along with one Tab Baldwin that will continue to support them from the sidelines.
As Ladi and Escobar begin to chase their professional hoop dreams, no less than Coach Tab has vouched for their character, describing them as “the kind of men that you would want in your home, you want in your huddle, and in your dugout.”
“They are competitors, they are quality people, and they enhance the lives of people around them, not just as basketball players, but we can all see the talent, and every professional coach can see their talent. What they can offer and contribute to a basketball team,” Baldwin said of his one-and-done stars.
“But I’m here to testify that these are guys that have enhanced not just our team, not just the Ateneo community, but my life personally because of the kind of character and personality that they have, and the joy that they bring to the environment is such an important thing.”
Images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.