CHICAGO - At the request of Ateneo men's basketball team manager Epok Quimpo, who has a discerning eye for talent, coach Tab Baldwin went to watch a scrimmage game last summer in Oakland, California.
Notoriously hard to please, Baldwin immediately liked what he saw - a 6-foot-7 wing that ran like a gazelle, shot 3s with above average regularity, and defended with a tenacity that the UAAP demands.
After a torrid courtship, thanks largely to Quimpo's unique powers of persuasion, and Baldwin's stellar reputation, Kymani Ladi committed to play for the Blue Eagles last July 2024.
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After sitting out for a year, Kymani, which means "born of Sunday" or "glorious leader" in African cultures, is ready to be unleashed in Season 88.
"He plays, offensively, with perimeter skills, He is a smart defender," Baldwin told me in a telephone interview on Thursday night.
ANOTHER BAY AREA CATCH.
Ladi, who was discovered by Jed Madayag, the coach who oversees the Bay Area Sports (BAS) Tournament, is also a "great communicator with evident leadership and positive disposition," Badlwin added.
The 23-year old Ladi is the offspring of a Filipino father and a Puerto Rican mother. He hails from talent-rich Vallejo, California which produced prominent PBA players such as Jeremiah Gray of Ginebra and Zavier Lucero of Magnolia by way of UP.
Like his Fil-Am predecessors from the Bay Area, Kymani can hoop.
Before landing at Ateneo, he played for Merritt at the California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A) where he appeared in 26 games averaging 14,6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per.
He shot a high 38.1 percent from 3 and 41.8 from the field overall. He also knocked down 76 percent of his free throws, which is huge given Ateneo's struggles at the line in Season 87 where the Blue Eagles were a dreadful 56.5 percent (172-of-304).
Ladi has played four preseason games so far under Baldwin's watch, including the high-profile Asia Basket College Campus Tour tiff versus De La Salle last March 30 at the Moro Lorenzo gym.where he logged 14 points and 12 rebounds in 29:09 of action.
THE INCREDIBLE BULK.
For this upcoming season, Baldwin told me that Ladi will be deployed as a power forward but he will get some minutes at small forward.
To get ready for the physicality in the UAAP, Ky has gained 20 pounds since landing at the Blue Eagles nest, bulking up to somewhere around 220.
Ladi ain't the incredible hulk, for sure, but he won't be pushed around by known brute forces such as Mike Philipps of La Salle and the other beasts that inhabit the UAAP, either.
A one-and-done gem, Ky will not necessarily redefine the Ateneo program but he will leave an imprint during his time there.
"He's a great kid," Baldwin said of his prized recruit who coaches and refs kids at Bay Area Sports (BAS) as a way to give back to the community.
Between the lines, though, he can be real ferocious.
And that's exactly what the Blue Eagles need as they continue to sharpen their talons for another run at a title.
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