Kai Ballungay made an immediate impact for Ateneo de Manila University during their championship run in UAAP Season 85.
That's an understatement as he posted per game averages of 11.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.0 steals, while emerging as a key contributor who helped the Blue Eagles overcome losing SJ Belangel, Gian Mamuyac, Tyler Tio, and Raffy Verano.
Fast forward to now and head coach Tab Baldwin expects his 6-foot-6 forward to make more noise this season -- literally.
"Kai's a relatively quiet guy. He lets his play do the talking, but he needs to be more vocal," Baldwin said. "He plays the game well, so naturally, we'd like to have him step up and continue to play like he's one of our seniors."
Ballungay doesn't talk a lot, and he does let his play speak volumes. But now that the Blue Eagles no longer have Ange Kouame, Dave Ildefonso, and BJ Andrade, they will need another voice to fill that huge void.
Enter the versatile forward who, at just 21 years old and only heading towards his second season, is one of Ateneo's veterans, alongside Chris Koon and Geo Chiu. And the good news on Katipunan Avenue is that Ballungay is ready and raring to turn up the volume.
"I do my fair share of talking to the guys, of course, but emphasizing what our coaches want on the court itself will be something that falls on my shoulders this year," he said. "We have no Ange, no Dave, no BJ, our vocal leaders, so I just wanna take that challenge and go out and push my teammates to the best of my abilities.
While his voice may never be as commanding as Mike Nieto's or resounding as Kouame's, Ballungay has faith that he'll be communicating his leadership to his teammates with the same sort of success.
"I've been here since Season 84 and from then to Season 85, we had many local guys. But throughout, I feel like at no point did we have a communication issue," he said. "This season, with more Filipino-foreigners, we're still hoping to come together as one team and continue the Ateneo legacy already in place."
To do so, the Filipino-American looks to bring over lessons he has learned from a relationship he treasures just as much -- or even more -- as the one he has with Ateneo. Ballungay has been married to wife Bella since December 2022, four years after they met in high school. Not long after they first got together, he had to go to the Philippines to suit up for the Blue Eagles, while she remained in the U.S. to finish her studies.
They have worked on their partnership while being11,500 km apart. Communication had to be crystal clear for their relationship to stay strong -- especially given the 15-hour time difference.
"Communication is key. Being able to relay your thoughts and stay on the same page is important," said Ballungay. "It's challenging, but we're both very driven in what we're passionate about. We just wanna lock into what we have right now then later in the year, we're gonna come together again and take life from there."
After Bella gets her degree in August 2023, she plans to re-unite with her husband. The Ballungays will be together knowing that they persevered against both time and distance. And all along, it was communicating with each other that showed the way.
Kai hopes for similar success as the Blue Eagles' floor leader -- using his voice to guide newcomers such as Mason Amos, Kyle Gamber, and Lebron Nieto.
"After the pandemic pushed me towards Ateneo, I feel like I've made one of the best decisions in my life," he said. "I just wanna take these years I'm here and learn from coach Tab and take all those to my professional career."
Kai Ballungay was a revelation in just his first go-round for Ateneo. Now in his second season, a big burden has been put on his shoulders: to make it possible for new guys -- and all of their guys, in fact -- to become a revelation of their own.