MANILA, Philippines—Mapua star Clint Escamis finished his pursuit for NCAA greatness in the same way his basketball journey began.

Winning the NCAA championship was historic for the Cardinals and a full-circle moment for Escamis.

Aside from keeping the same company on his road to the NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball title, Escamis kept one more thing along for the strenuous ride.

From the Final Four to the title-clinching game, Escamis wore the same sneaker silhouette he once wore when he started playing varsity basketball as a kid.

“I chose the KD 4 because it was my first-ever shoes as a kid,” said Escamis after winning Game 1 of the Finals against College of St. Benilde, referring to the retro version of Kevin Durant’s fourth signature sneaker which originally hit shelves back in 2011 and rereleased earlier this year.

The only difference is the colorway.

“The KD 4 Oranges? Those orange and white shoes were my first… [Now,] I’m wearing it to bring back the childhood memories because that’s where I’m getting my strength,” said Escamis, who rocked the KD 4 “Weatherman” this time.

The timing couldn’t be more perfect for Escamis as the sneaker arrived just in time for Mapua’s Final Four run.

Before opting for the KD 4s and go back to where it started, Escamis switched kicks from the Book 1s, Sabrina 1s and Kobes.

“I was actually eyeing the KD 4 Galaxy’s but I thought, a lot are selling these already so why not get the Weathermans?”

Escamis wasn’t any different from the average sneakerhead, who couldn’t wait to get his hands on his pair.

“It’s hard to get those because you have to pre-order so in our last game of the eliminations, I pre-ordered it. A week later, I was already nagging my kicks dealer, ‘Where is it? We have a game on Saturday!’ When it came on Friday night, I wore it the next day right away,” Escamis recalled.

Mapua guard Clint Escamis reacts while wearing the KD 4 “Weatherman” during Game 2 of the NCAA Season 100 men’s basketball Finals.–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net

In 1991, the now-classic “It’s gotta be the shoes” Nike commercial starring Michael Jordan and Spike Lee aired to promote the Air Jordan 5.

Sure, nothing compares to a pair of Air Jordans but Escamis’ first game wearing the Weathermans was pure magic as he made it rain with a career-high 33 points to propel Mapua back into the NCAA Finals.

Coincidence? Escamis followed it up with another 30-piece in Game 1 of the title series. Bothered by cramps in the second half, Escamis finished with 18 points, four assists and three steals to close out the Blazers and end the Cardinals’ decades-long wait for an NCAA crown.

Escamis dazzled in the championship round averaging 24 points on 51 percent shooting from the field, four assists, and four steals on his way to bagging the Finals MVP plum.

“We all have those things that we treat as our first and to wear my first basketball shoe as a varsity [player], it just goes back to all the hard work you put in all those late nights,” Escamis said.

“It just led up to this moment and it paid off with my heritage because it’s my first shoe as a varsity player.”

In 2014, Kevin Durant delivered one of the most memorable MVP speeches that still resonates today.

“When you didn’t eat, you made sure we ate. You went to sleep hungry. You sacrificed for us…. You the real MVP,” said Durant in his MVP acceptance speech a decade ago when he was still playing to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Escamis feels the same way.

“I used to do this thing when I was young where I’d take a picture of myself while shooting a free throw with my mom. I recreate it every year and I remember that she would accompany me to Brent, which is so far from Parañaque, and I was wearing those shoes,” he said. “She bought that for me.”

“I’m so thankful for her,” added Escamis as he was holding back his tears. “I’d even like to call it [KD 4] my ‘mom shoes.’ Knowing that she did so much effort for me as a kid, driving me around Parañaque, to QC, to AMA [for training]. That really takes hard work, dedication and belief for your child.”

Nostalgia comes in different ways and forms. When Escamis remembers his old sneakers, it takes him back to his humble beginnings when he was still in grade school trying to crack the varsity team. The new ones will be forever associated with his NCAA crowning moment with Mapua.

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But whether it’s the past or present, one thing has been constant for Escamis.

“She just believed in me and I’m just so thankful for her. I dedicate these and those shoes to her. That’s really my best memory.”pwbet gaming

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