THIS time last year, Kean Baclaan was his own boss — doing whatever floated his boat, unfazed by the waves of consequences that could hit him.
He found himself at the center of controversies within four months of redshirting for La Salle - first in a skirmish in Bulacan, and another last July when he charged at a referee in Muntinlupa.
He's certainly left all that behind now.
READ: Online hit Kean Baclaan proving he can shine in a system at La Salle
Today, Baclaan is not only a do-it-all star player, but also a hands-on father, a decent student, and a great friend – and that is all thanks to how the basketball team’s culture of brotherhood influenced him.
“Mahihiya na lang ako sa sarili ko kung ‘yung mga tao sa paligid ko ginagawa best nila para mag-improve tapos ako hindi,” Baclaan told SPIN.ph, reflecting on his journey in the past year to finally wearing green for this coming season.
In initial interviews, his head coach Topex Robinson himself shared how Baclaan shared is one of the dean’s lister in his team.
Quite an encouraging progress for somebody who’d describe his old academic pattern as ‘pumapasok lang ‘pag may exam.’
But more than just that, Baclaan got a deeper relationship with himself — more than what he imagined in just less than a year of being part of Topex Robinson’s program.
“Before La Salle, kung ano ‘yung gusto ko, nagagawa ko — wala akong rules,” he continued.
And before La Salle, too, Baclaan was often regarded as ‘emotional’ and ‘cocky’ — and he acknowledges that fact.
“Pero dito, tinuruan nila ako, and proud ako sa sarili ko na hinayaan ko ‘yung sarili kong maturuan. Kumbaga, gusto ko na din talaga i-straight ‘yung path ko — hindi na ako bumabata,” he added.
Captain Mike vouches for Kean
Far from his old identifiers, his teammate and team captain Michael Phillips speaks highly of Baclaan.
“I’d compare him to a light — he brightens the room when he walks in,” Phillips said of Baclaan.
Being a testimony to his progress of ‘bettering himself,’ Phillips looked back on how he met Kean over a year ago when he committed to La Salle in February 2024.
“When he came in, I was just like, ‘Oh wow, another great talent on the team.’ Now, he’s among my closest friends,” Phillips shared.
In serious matters, Phillips appreciates Baclaan’s authenticity as a person, and from there, he recognizes his need to grow — and gladly walks toward that path without any kind of force.
None — not even from coach Topex.
“Kean is finally growing into the player he’s supposed to be from day one. Really proud of him. It’s all him,” Robinson said of Baclaan.
While Robinson had moments of intervention with Kean, he never coerced the him to make decisions.
“My role is just mostly making him realize what he’s giving up if he doesn’t improve. From there, I let him do what he wants to do. So in this one, he was the one who decided to get better,” he added.
More than just having a better attitude altogether, Baclaan now has more discipline in his routine — working out on his own, something he never did back then.
And what better way to complement his already polished skill set?
While winning still fuels his competitiveness on the court, Baclaan has gained more than just points, dimes, and boards from being part of this program.
“Maraming binago ang La Salle sa character ko, and gusto ko ‘yung change na ‘yun,” he said.
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