Push Admin

UAAP: Baldwin compares Ballungay’s performance vs La Salle to Kouame

Article (news)

Karl Cedrick Basco, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Photo from UAAP Media Bureau" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/10/05/uaap-86-mbb-_kai-ballungay-6983.jpg"/><figcaption>Photo from UAAP Media Bureau</figcaption></figure></div>MANILA – Even Ateneo de Manila University head coach Tab Baldwin was impressed by Kai Ballungay’s monster numbers, especially in rebounding after the Blue Eagles toppled rival De La Salle University (DLSU) on Wednesday.Baldwin gave credit to Ballungay’s stellar performance as he tallied 18 points in the game alongside 16 boards, including 12 offensive boards, which spelled the difference late in the fourth quarter. In fact, Ateneo registered a whopping 27 total offensive rebounds from their 66 total boards in the match that gave them a 77-72 win over the Green Archers for their first win in the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament. It was so impressive that Baldwin even drew comparisons between Ballungay and former UAAP MVP and Ateneo standout Ange Kouame. Kouame etched his name during his UAAP career as one of the prolific centers, earning him spot in the Mythical 5 numerous times aside from getting the MVP trophy. <figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2830992" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>“I don’t often do it, but just a big shout-out to this guy sitting on my right [Ballungay]. Twelve offensive rebounds out of 27. Twenty-seven is a massive offensive rebounding performance, which is indicative that our guys came to battle,” the champion coach told reporters. “For Kai to pull down 12 of those is... I don’t know… that’s beyond Ange Kouame-ish, really. That’s really saying something.”Meanwhile, Ballungay explained that his energy only came from the team’s eagerness to showcase their sense of pride, especially against their rival, which is also pegged as a contender for the title. <ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/10/04/23/uaap-ateneo-trips-rival-la-salle-for-win-no-1">UAAP: Ateneo trips rival La Salle to break into win column</a></li></ul>He and the Blue Eagles were coming from a shocking upset at the hands of National University during the opening day. “It’s something that we lacked in the first game and something that we have to adjust to coming to this game, especially with it being a rivalry game. We just wanted to show our sense of pride and show that we can beat the guys that can get first and beat the guys that can be physical and not just take a beating every night,” Ballungay said.“I think it really showed tonight especially on the boards. A lot of our guys did an amazing job getting to the boards and pulling those down.”But Baldwin and Ballungay are tempering their big win against La Salle, noting that it was only their second game of the season.“We will try to keep this in perspective, and understand that we have a big game this weekend, and this won’t mean a lot if we drop the next game. They don’t give bonus points for beating La Salle. Maybe they should, but they don’t, so we gotta get ready for the next one,” Baldwin admitted.Ballungay, too, did not dwell too much on the win but said it will definitely boost the team’s morale as they progress in their title defense. “We just gotta take it as one game and keep pushing forward, build on this definitely, and take what we can take and learn from the experiences we have in this game and just keep building moving forward.”

Even Ateneo head coach Tab Baldwin gave credit to Kai Ballungay’s stellar performance as he tallied 18 points in the game alongside 16 boards, including 12 offensive boards, which spelled the difference late in the fourth quarter. 

UAAP: Baldwin compares Ballungay’s performance vs La Salle to Kouame

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Traffic

Manila

Horoscope

Sports

UAAP: Baldwin compares Ballungay’s performance vs La Salle to Kouame

Karl Cedrick Basco,

ABS-CBN News

Published Oct 05, 2023 04:49 PM PHT

Read More:

Ateneo

UAAP

UAAP Season 86

basketball

Kai Ballungay

Tab Baldwin

Ange Kouame

La Salle

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.