Linked by the game they love.
Aside from having the ability to jump out of the gym to throw down a thunderous slam, Kai Ballungay of the Ateneo Blue Eagles can boast of another thing he has in common with Houston Rockets top dog Jalen Green.
The obvious answer is that they are both Filipino-Americans. But more specifically, they both suited up not too long ago for a squad featuring the most promising hoopers in the United States with Filipino heritage.
On Monday, the high-flying Ateneo forward took to Instagram to repost the list of notable players produced by FilAm Sports USA—a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the success of young Filipino-American athletes.
Gilas Pilipinas and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas should take a screenshot of the list for future reference.
The 21-year-old Green, who's poised to have a breakout season for the Rockets, was on the 2018 and 2019 class. Ballungay and another UAAP cager joined Green in the 2019 batch.
That other UAAP cager is Eli Ramos, who now plays for the Adamson Soaring Falcons. Dwight Ramos’ younger brother has helped the Nash Racela-mentored squad to a 3-2 win-loss record in his rookie year in the league.
Ballungay and Ramos can take inspiration from the fact that once upon a time, they stood side by side with a potential NBA superstar. They played with Green when FilAm Sports USA competed in the Philippines in the NBTC Nationals in 2019. They were eliminated in the quarterfinals by eventual champion Nazarene School of National University Bullpups.
Ballungay and Ramos need all the motivation they can get as Ateneo’s title defense looks vulnerable at the moment and Adamson's campaign has been inconsistent.
The Blue Eagles and the Soaring Falcons will both see action this Wednesday against the UST Growling Tigers and the FEU Tamaraws, respectively.
Catch the UAAP live on One Sports, the UAAP Varsity Channel, and the Pilipinas Live app.
(PM)