The King Falcon never forgets his original nest.
Jerom Lastimosa recently made headlines after he ultimately decided to return to the Adamson Soaring Falcons and play in what would be his final year in the UAAP. It was a highly awaited decision within basketball circles as the 24-year old point guard appeared to have multiple options other than coming back for Season 86. But, come back he did.
Before becoming a high-profile amateur cager, however, the dynamic floor general from Dumaguete — just like many basketball stars that preceded him — came from humble beginnings. In his recent Instagram story, the Falcons main man shared a picture of a basketball ring with a wooden backboard that’s standing on an unpaved surface with dirt and grass all over it.
With the caption, “This is where i started!” accompanied by a prayer and a teary eyed emoji, you would get the sense that this UAAP star got pretty emotional as he looked back at his roots. Fans may know him at the moment for his hardwood heroics at Adamson — coming off a foot injury and all — and his amazing bag of offensive moves, but as his post suggests, he was also once a kid dreaming of making it big while under limited circumstances.
Also, perhaps this is where Jerom learned to have such tight handles. As ballers know, one can hardly bounce a basketball in muddy surfaces like this. A good challenge can always hone skills.
Kidding aside, Lastimosa is expected to turn in another solid campaign for San Marcelino just like he did in the past two years. In Season 85, he averaged 15.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists en route to leading his team to the Final Four and winning a special award called PSBankable Player of the Season.