Humblebola

By: Toby Pavon

Jerom Lastimosa catches the ball on the right wing. He pulls up for the shot. The ball leaves his hand right before the buzzer sounds. SWISH!

Three points for Jerom Lastimosa!

His booming triple brings Adamson to within 22 points against Ateneo as the final buzzer sounds on the game, Adamson’s season, and the collegiate career of one of UAAP’s most universally beloved athletes.

“Marunong siyang mag-give back sa mga nakatulong sa kanya,” recalled Ma’am Eva Dulay, Directress of Adamson University’s Office for Institutional Advancement when asked to describe Jerom Lastimosa. Giving back has been the theme of Jerom’s penultimate season in the UAAP. Everything he has done, from committing to return for his last playing year, to trying to rehab an ACL tear enough to play, and even deciding to stay on the bench together with the team until the end of the season can easily be seen as being motivated by wanting to give back to the university, community and the league that has raised him high on a pedestal.

“Noong bagong dating siya, we called him Dodong,” recounted Ma’am Eva, of his humble beginnings in the UAAP. “First game niya sa UAAP, tinanong siya ng ABS-CBN ‘sino mommy mo dito?’ ako ang tinuro. So every time na nakaka-shoot siya, ako fino-focus ng camera.”

As one of the administrators of the University, Ma’am Eva has long been active in supporting the student-athletes of the school, especially the basketball team. She has seen many student-athletes come and go during her time, many of whom she still maintains connections with, but with Jerom Lastimosa, there’s a different kind of fondness for him, one that many klasmeyts share.

The Adamson community first heard about Jerom Lastimosa in the off-season between Season 80 and 81. It was the height of Coach Franz Pumaren’s Falcon make-over, Jerom was one of the new recruits and he dropped a team high 13 points in a pre-season tournament.

Team high 13 points.

In a team that had Jerrick Ahanmisi, Jerie Pingoy, Papi Sarr and Sean Manganti, who was this kid that was, not only willing to take shots away from them, but actually make the most of his opportunities?

“So ang alam ng lahat noong unang taon niya dito, ako ang mommy ni Jerom,” Ma’am Eva continues to recall, “sabi ko loko ka. Sabihin mo mommy mo ako dito sa Adamson. I think nagsabi naman siya.”

Dodong, as Ma’am Eva and others close to him would call him, showed signs of being the “point-god” that he has become known to be very early on in his collegiate career. What made him special was that as loud as his game was on the court, he was quiet and grounded off it.

It’s easy to see why people are fond of Jerom. Klasmeyts like Ma’am Eva find him humble, down-to-earth and frankly, very approachable. All of this despite being the talented athlete that he is, with Coach Franz Pumaren and his coaching staff already singing his praises long before even playing a single game in the UAAP. He was so easily accepted by the community because Adamson, to Dodong, a probinsyano from Dumaguete, was his home.

The rest of the UAAP began to take notice of him after he drained a three-point shot to send the game to overtime in the semi-finals of Season 81, as a rookie. In Season 82 he had to fight for minutes because an equally explosive guard was added to the lineup in Fil-Peruvian sensation Val Chauca. Season 83 was supposed to see him as take a bigger role as the clear cut go-to point guard of the team, but the pandemic happened.

During the pandemic, Jerom opted to stay in the athletes’ quarters for as long as he could. While there, posts of him training on his own and playing with athletes from other events were frequent. He just wanted to stay in basketball shape, even if there was no certainty of basketball at the time. Through it all, when the world was shutting down, Jerom just wanted to play.

So when it was announced that Jerom would have to sit out the start of UAAP Season 86 because of an injury sustained in training, he was devastated– klasmeyts were devastated. This was supposed to be THE year for him to showcase what a fully armed Soaring Falcons can do with him at the helm.

Ever since Coach Nash Racela took over the team, the running theme was always about anticipating when the team would reach its peak. It was Jerom’s team, nobody doubted that, what people wanted to see is if he would get enough help.

By this time, Jerom was already so universally beloved, there were no qualms about him shushing the crowd as he drilled a dagger against UP in Season 84.

When Adamson bowed out of the Final Four in Season 85 against Ateneo, Jerom left the arena to a “M-V-P!” chants from both crowds. After all, it was not lost on the crowd that in the game prior he willed Adamson into the Final Four by going on a personal 8-0 run against De La Salle in their playoff for fourth.

Nobody wanted an anti-climactic ending to Jerom’s UAAP career. Season 86 was supposed to his one last ride, for himself, for the Adamson community, and most especially for the UAAP.

It wasn’t supposed to end like this.

Jerom Lastimosa was supposed to wear his number 7 jersey one more time, striking fear into the hearts of opposing teams everywhere, slicing and dicing the opposing defense with aggressive drives to the lane or stepping back for a three-point shot. The point-god, Jerom Lastimosa was supposed to lead the Adamson Soaring Falcons to their deepest UAAP run yet before riding off into the collegiate basketball sunset.

All his klasmeyts wanted to watch him help the team climb the mountain. But it wasn’t meant to be. Now, the Adamson community can only wish for him to have a fruitful professional career.

“Nakakaguilty kasi nung sa UST, kinausap ko si Lasti,” explained Dimp, a klasmeyt and avid Soaring Falcons fan. She often attends games live and interacts with the players. “Sabi ko, ‘Lasti, laro ka na sa Wednesday?’ sabi niya, ‘Oo pero di pa sure kalaban.’ Kaya sabi ko, ‘Yey! Galingan mo haaaa’”

When reports circulated that Jerom was scheduled to make his return in the 2nd round of the Season, there was cautious excitement among the Adamson fans. Yes, they want to see him play, who doesn’t? But not at the cost of risking further injury, especially when his potential is so high.

So when an unfortunate incident occurred in the game against UP which saw Jerom having to be carried back to the locker room, fans felt conflicted, guilty.

“Against UP, na excite ako kasi makikita ko sya maglaro. Pero noong nainjure siya, umiyak sya, naiyak din ako.” Dimp lamented, feeling party responsible for being part of a fanbase that wanted nothing more than to see Jerom play. “Parang na pressure ko ba siya to play? Kasi nagexpect din ang mga fans, sobrang tamlay sa MOA noong nangyari ‘yun.”

Dimp wasn’t alone, in fact, the Adamson community wasn’t alone in wanting to see Jerom take to the court once again. Fans from all teams delighted in watching him play, even if it sometimes meant putting up big numbers against their team. And for Jerom, it’s simply in his nature to want to play for the enjoyment of the fans, not his fans, but fans everywhere.

A student-athlete like Jerom comes only once in a life-time. Clearly he’s talented. He also has the humility, both when it comes to how he deals with the spotlight, and regarding his skills and performance. His basketball work-ethic is top-notch. So it’s no surprise that Adamson honored him by being the only student-athlete to have his jersey retired while still being a player for the team.

Despite his meteoric rise in popularity, with many dubbing him the point-god of the UAAP, even going so far as winning a gold medal wearing the Gilas Pilipinas uniform, Jerom still hasn’t seen a selfie he didn’t like. That is to say, he still remained as approachable as he was when he was Dodong, first coming into the league- welcoming fans with open arms.

Alas, fighting for their Final Four lives, the Adamson Soaring Falcons have number 7 suited up for them. Needing a basket to keep their season alive, Jerom knows these are the moments he lives for. As the ball is inbounded to the point guard, he curls to the corner, uses an escape dribble before stepping back to release the shot over the outstretched arms of his defender– CASH MONEY!

The arena explodes in jubilation, high fives are being thrown around, screams of joy erupt everywhere, including from the mouth of Jerom. Monty Montebon, in his first year playing for Adamson, just hit a step-back three from the left corner to keep their title hunt alive, a scene Jerom knows all too much about, a scene Jerom now gets to enjoy from the sidelines. He was the first player off the Adamson bench giving Montebon a body-bump.

Throughout his time forced to ride the bench, Jerom has been one of the loudest cheerleaders for his teammates. He celebrates their big moments and empathize in their lows. There is not an ounce of contempt or envy inside of him. He loves to see others succeed, and maybe that’s why the world has been the same for him.

There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Jerom Lastimosa is meant for greater things. Ma’am Eva expresses her confidence that Jerom will have a fruitful post-collegiate career, “Ang pangarap ko sa kanya, sana maging isang magaling na coach pagkatapos maging player.” He has won the adoration of fans everywhere, all while staying grounded and wanting to give back. So now that his collegiate stint is over, he bids goodbye, not to hearts that are heavy, but to hearts that are full. Japan, Korea, the PBA, whatever league is out there, Jerom now has his pick of where he wants to go, and everyone regardless of which school they support, will be eagerly waiting for the return of Dodong, “point-god” ng bayan.