Dom Escobar has been one of the few bright spots for Ateneo in the first round of the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball tournament.
In the Blue Eagles’ failed comeback bid against the league-leading National University Bulldogs on Saturday, Escobar had another solid game that certainly didn’t go unnoticed. ‘We’re a team that likes to get multiple rebounding performers,’ Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin said. ‘We expect players to produce in their roles on both ends and Dom is one of those guys that early in the season wasn’t so much into that (rebounding role), but now he understands the importance of it.’
Escobar, the one-and-done guard, notched a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
And it’s not the first time Escobar delivered such numbers. In the Blue Eagles’ 98-89 triple overtime loss to University of Santo Tomas, Escobar finished with 13 points and a game-high 20 rebounds in a game that also featured burly big men in UST’s Collins Akowe and Ateneo’s Divine Adili.
Baldwin hopes to see that kind of effort from Escobar and more from the others in the second round.
‘He’s a great kid who responds well to challenges. He’s putting up some impressive numbers and we’ll be needing it from Shawn Tuano, (Andrew) Bongo, Joaqui Espina and our other wing players as well.’
The Blue Eagles have been struggling with three consecutive defeats after opening the season at 4-0.