Nasty, clutch, electrifying, all in one dunk.
The Ateneo Blue Eagles are set to defend their UAAP men’s basketball title later this year. Like most teams, they recruited new talents to further beef up their lineup. Leading the pack for the Blue Eagles’ reinforcements is stretch big man Mason Amos, who had already showed glimpses of what he can do while suiting up for Gilas Pilipinas. But the hype surrounding Ateneo’s title defense may have just shifted towards a returning player.
On Sunday night, athletic Blue Eagles forward Kai Ballungay, who was instrumental in his team’s triumphant Season 85 campaign, made the rounds on the internet after throwing down a vicious in-your-face slam during a friendly match between Ateneo and NBL 1 team South Districts Spartans.
One of those videos that circulated around cyberspace came from Filipino basketball fan Marwin Pahaganas, who watched the thrilling tune-up game in person. The monstrosity of Ballungay’s one-handed hammer was perfectly captured by his recording from courtside view.
What made the dunk even more special was it happened during crunch time, with less than 30 seconds to go.
Tied at 78, with the Spartans having offensive possession, Ballungay came out of nowhere to intercept the inbounds pass before finishing the play with a mean jam over a defender who tried his best to stop the Ateneo forward's attempt.
But hey, Ballungay really went up there, and there’s not much anyone can do about it.
The dunk was so electrifying that it likely took the wind out of the Spartans who missed a couple of chances to tie the game, which eventually ended with an 80-78 Ateneo win.
With this dunk, Kai, who had an eventful 2022 by getting two rings, just displayed an auspicious sign for the Blue Eagles leading up to their Season 86 campaign.
(GM)