Baclaan leaves NU for La Salle

MANILA, Philippines -- There's a new Green Archer in town.

Kean Baclaan is going to Taft and join La Salle, the guard confirmed to Philstar.com.

Baclaan, on X (formerly Twitter,) also posted La Salle’s battle cry, “Animo,” with a green heart emoji.

Animo! ????

— Kean Baclaan (@KeanBaclaan) February 3, 2024

The former La Salle Zobel stalwart, who was a vital cog for the NU Bulldogs in the recently concluded UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament, will be eligible to play for the reigning UAAP champions in Season 88.

By then, he is expected to team up with newly transferred Jacob Cortez, forming a potent backcourt.

In Season 86, the crafty guard averaged 10.6 points, 4.7 assists, 4.4 rebounds and 0.9 steals per game.

He helped NU reach the Final Four, with the Bulldogs sporting 10-4 elimination round slate, as the team’s second-leading scorer.

This is the second time Baclaan transferred schools.

He earlier committed to UST, but decommitted and went to the Bulldogs’ cage.