Aldous Torculas overcame a surge of emotions to finally regain his confidence after recovering from a right ankle sprain in his UAAP Season 87 Collegiate Men’s Basketball debut for University of the Philippines.
Torculas made his season debut midway through the third quarter, punctuating it with a two-handed fastbreak dunk that extended the Fighting Maroons’ lead to 70-35.
UP eventually cruised to an 89-62 victory over National University at the SMART Araneta Coliseum.
Torculas sustained the grade 2 right ankle sprain during a tune-up game against a Korean professional team in UP’s South Korea training camp last August.
It sidelined him for over a month and left him battling negative emotions.
With one game now under his belt, the UP Integrated School product is slowly regaining the confidence he needs to contribute to the Fighting Maroons’ title campaign.
“Sobrang na-depress ako in a way kasi gustong-gusto ko na makapaglaro ng basketball and gusto ko rin matulungan yung team. Wala ako magawa, so nag-cheer ako for them,” Torculas shared in an interview with Tiebreaker Times.
“From the injury, parang nawala yung confidence ko. But this game, ito yung nag-set ng confidence ko ulit. Bumalik lahat ng confidence ko sa game na ito,” he added.
Despite being sidelined, Torculas remained focused on leadership, making sure his presence was felt even off the court.
Whether waiting patiently for medical clearance or taking flight with his signature dunks, he feels determined to step up as a leader for the Fighting Maroons.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
This season’s UP squad offers something special for Torculas: leadership is shared across the Fighting Maroons.
While team captain Gerry Abadiano and co-captain JD Cagulangan are the recognized leaders, Torculas emphasized that everyone on the roster contributes to UP’s leadership and chemistry.
“Kahit yung mga bago, sila Jacob, nagsasalita rin sila. Lahat naman leader, hindi lang si Gerry yung leader namin. Of course, siya yung captain, pero lahat kami leader, lahat kami nagtutulungan, on and off the court,” said the 6-foot-4 forward from Malabon City.
Torculas logged six points and four rebounds in 11 minutes of action in UP’s rout of the Bulldogs. Still, he’s keeping his expectations realistic as he continues to regain his form.
The 20-year-old forward acknowledged that he has a long way to go before fully reclaiming his confidence, game awareness, and physical conditioning.
“Siguro less expectations kasi bini-build up ko pa rin yung confidence ko, and we’ll see. Sana maka-contribute ako,” shared the UP lifer.
“Continue pa rin yung rehab after an intense game or a game na kakabalik ko lang. Yung flow ng game, yung how the game feels, wala pa rin sa akin. Binabawi ko pa rin, yung sa paa ko, nag-aadjust pa rin ako.”
