For much of UAAP Season 88, it looked like Kean Baclaan and Mason Amos would have brief campaigns with abrupt endings. 

Baclaan and Amos suffered ligament tears in their knees, with the latter getting injured in the DLSU Green Archers’ first-round matchup against the NU Bulldogs. In the following game against the UE Red Warriors, Baclaan would then suffer the same fate, and to add insult to injury, the former Bulldog would see the squad he left emerge as the top seed in Season 88. 

But the basketball gods tend to play tricks, and at times, they can be creative as they are cruel. The Green Archers would claw their way back to the Final Four only to run into, of all teams, NU. 

As fate would have it, Baclaan and Amos were healthy enough to suit up for LaSalle’s Final Four series with the Bulldogs. Amos returned during DLSU’s second-round matchup against the UP Fighting Maroons, while Baclaan came back just in time to see his former team for one last time this season. 

Game 1 was just what both Amos and Baclaan needed to get back into the scheme of things as Amos’ big baskets were set up by Baclaan’s playmaking. Baclaan only converted one field goal attempt, but it was more important that he got to play for almost 20 minutes as he prepared to ramp up his activity. 

The winner-take-all Game 2 saw more subdued roles for both, but Amos and Baclaan converted on three of their combined four free throw attempts in the endgame. That was valuable, especially when you consider how the Green Archers have caught flak time and time again for their dismal free throw shooting. 

Now, both will play in their first UAAP finals against the defending champions UP Fighting Maroons. This is the matchup they all wanted, as Amos, Baclaan, Jacob Cortez, and Luis Pablo were all serving their residency when the Fighting Maroons snatched the championship away from LaSalle back in UAAP Season 87. They could only watch from the bench as their big brothers saw a title slip away and now they have the opportunity to win it back. 

Getting their legs back (no pun intended) prior to the finals was a welcome development as they will be in for a tough matchup against a rival that has yet to face DLSU at full strength. In reality, the Green Archers aren’t 100 percent as Amos and Baclaan are still working their way back to pre-injury form. But there will be moments where both will be called upon, whether that’s relieving their teammates for a few minutes or knocking down precious free throw attempts. Amos and Baclaan will be ready, especially since they have a championship within reach. 

Mason Amos and Kean Baclaan nearly had the endings to their UAAP Season 88 campaigns written for them, but they’ve recovered and now have the opportunity to etch their names and their team into Lasallian lore. The beauty of the UAAP is in its winners, but it’s also with those who have overcome adversity, and Amos and Baclaan have the unique opportunity to hit two birds with one stone.