By: Miguel Caramoan
Kymani Ladi, Jaden Lazo, and Dom Escobar will only have one season to don the blue and white.
But if preseason glimpses are any indication, they could play a major role in Ateneo’s bid to bounce back in UAAP Season 88 Men’s Basketball Tournament starting on September 20.
It was an unusual sight to see the Ateneo Blue Eagles finish the season as the last seed with a lowly win-loss record of 4-10. For a program built with structure under head coach Tab Baldwin since taking over back in 2016, there’s an expectation that they would remain in the upper echelon of the league.
With a year of experience now under promising guard Jared Bahay and the debut of foreign student-athlete Divine Adili, the spotlight also falls on these three players to elevate the Blue Eagles back into championship contention.
Ladi headlines the trio as he made a name for himself at Merritt College in California. There, he stood out as the top scorer of the team at 15.0 points per game on 41.8/38.1/76 shooting splits.
That pedigree will now be put to the test in his lone run in the UAAP.
“I think it’s just playing my role really well for the team and not just improving myself but improving the team as well so that we’ll be ready [for] the playoffs,” said Ladi, setting the tone for his only season in Katipunan.
But the challenge in joining Ateneo has always been to learn Baldwin’s system, which has long been known for its offensive precision. For most players, it takes years to fully adapt, but Ladi had a head start by learning concepts from Baldwin even before he committed.
This allowed him to shift his focus toward execution and building chemistry with teammates rather than simply catching up.
“It’s been great. I think he really knows his stuff. Even during the recruiting process, he was already teaching me things, and that just made the decision a lot easier,” he shared.
Furthermore, Cal State teammates Lazo and Escobar are expected to be valuable additions to Ateneo’s guard and wing rotation.
Lazo brings a potential playmaking boost off the bench, along with defensive grit, as shown by his 2.3 steals per game in his final NCAA Division III season.
Escobar, meanwhile, offers a scoring punch on the perimeter, averaging 10.8 points while shooting 40.3% from beyond the arc.
With familiarity in place, their cohesion together provides the Blue Eagles with much-needed rotation depth.
“I already knew Jaden [Lazo] because he’s from the same area where I’m from in the States. As far as Dom [Escobar] goes, I love playing with him. We always see each other every day, we always eat out together — they’re really cool people,” he said about fellow one-and-done recruits Jaden Lazo and Dom Escobar.
However, Baldwin’s words cut to the heart of Ateneo’s challenge. The trio has shown flashes of potential in preseason tournaments, but the UAAP is an entirely different stage. Proving themselves means more than looking good in practice.
“In the preseason, they look good. They’re very easy to coach, and their maturity helps the whole team,” Baldwin said.
“But until you play UAAP games, it’s a different animal. They have to prove themselves in that venue. It’s going to be how they integrate with the whole team.”
How well Ladi, Lazo, and Escobar fit alongside Ateneo’s core will define their impact. For Baldwin, the question isn’t whether they have the skillset; it’s whether they can sustain that level against the pressure of UAAP competition.
WATCH: Kymani Ladi looks to make the most of his lone season with Ateneo! 🦅🏀
📹 @miguelcaramoan /Tiebreaker Times#UAAPSeason88 pic.twitter.com/rhuspAR3bQ
— Tiebreaker Times (@tiebreakertimes) September 17, 2025
