Ateneo forward Kymani Ladi is looking forward to his Gilas Pilipinas debut at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games.
Kymani Ladi is ready to seize the moment when he dons the national colors this December at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.
As one of three collegiate stars selected by Norman Black, Ladi is well-aware of the responsibility that comes with representing the country — a challenge that he’s more than ready to take head-on a month from now.
“It feels great to be a part of the national team, and I’m very blessed. I thank God for putting me in this position to play for the national team, because not a lot of people really get the chance to represent the country. So I’m just really blessed that this opportunity was given to me,” Ladi told The GAME in an exclusive interview.
Ladi is in the midst of his one-and-done season with the Ateneo Blue Eagles, where he is averaging a team-high 14.3 points and 7.6 rebounds in 10 games played for UAAP Season 88.
The ace forward believes that his dedication to the Blue Eagles has been instrumental in his Gilas call-up, as playing for Tab Baldwin’s Ateneo has given him the platform to be noticed by teams outside of the UAAP.
“When I first got here, it was just trying to adjust and playing with Ateneo’s Team B. And then…working my way up to Team A and the build-up for that really prepared me for this season,” Ladi reflected. “Playing with Team A gave me a lot of opportunities to get noticed by teams outside of Ateneo.”
Leading this year’s SEA Games squad is resident naturalized star Justin Brownlee, along with former national team members Thirdy Ravena, Matthew Wright, Bobby Ray Parks Jr., Ange Kouame, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser, and Dave Ildefonso. DLSU captain Mike Phillips and Veejay Pre join Ladi as the collegiate stars tapped by Black for the 12-man pool.
Ladi sees his inclusion as a chance to learn from a group of veteran stars, especially those who have been part of Gilas in past international tournaments.
“Being able to share that experience with them, especially since it’s my first time, and I’d definitely want to play more if I had the chance. But you know? I think it’s great to play with co-players that are already established,” he said.
As for specific names, Ladi shared, “Well, [I want to play with] Ateneo players like Kouame, Ildefonso, and also Mike [Phillips] as well. We have quite the rivalry, but we play hard, and I like people who play hard.”
There is also the chance to learn from Black, the architect of Ateneo’s historic UAAP five-peat and a multiple-time PBA champion head coach.
“All our coaching staff here has told me stories about Coach Black, so I’m really excited to play with him. I’m like a sponge, so I’m ready to learn and take what he teaches,” Ladi said.
Given that Ateneo is still in the running for a Final Four berth, it remains to be seen when Kymani Ladi can join Gilas’ buildup for the biennial meet this December. Still, as early as now, he’s ready to embrace whatever role he will be given in the quest for gold.
“I don’t want to expect too much. I just want to make sure that my team wins; I’m a scorer, but there’s also players out there that are great scorers, so I’m gonna be able to look for them, and I know that they’ll be able to find me too.”
Images courtesy of the UAAP Media Bureau.