ANTIPOLO — Magnolia ultimately fell short in completing its upset of Meralco in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup quarterfinals on Saturday, but if anything, it proved to be a coming-out party of sorts for Jerom Lastimosa.
The Adamson great willingly stepped up to the plate after the Hotshots lost Clint Chapman due to fouls during the fourth, scoring 21 of his 28 points in regulation and in extra time to make sure that they’d stick around.
It was just quite unfortunate, though, that such a solid outing went for naught as he gradually lost steam in the end, and it proved to be an opening which the Bolts would take full advantage of to come away with the 105-102 decision.
Yet he gained the respect of their now-semifinals-bound opponents, with no less than star guard Chris Newsome heaping high praise upon him.
“The sky’s the limit for him,” he said shortly after the OT classic at the Ynares Center here that also prevented the Bolts from getting swept by the Hotshots in their virtual playoff series that began at the end of the elimination round.
“He shows that he’s capable of doing things in crunch time, which is commendable to him, because he’s willing to put that on his shoulders at such a young age.”
Drafted ninth overall by Magnolia in 2024, Lastimosa has always been seen with tremendous upside given his offensive exploits with the Soaring Falcons in the UAAP, and Newsome himself has been among his many believers.
(C) PBA Images
Aside from watching him play in the collegiate ranks, the 35-year-old had the chance to become teammates with him in Gilas for the 32nd Southeast Asian Games, where they helped the country regain the gold it lost to Indonesia.
That, according to the Ateneo de Manila product, was the time when he saw glimpses of the youngster’s potential, turning him into a supporter.
“I actually know him pretty well. If you guys remember, he was part of the SEA Games team in Cambodia, so we were actually teammates on that roster, so I got to know him there,” recalled the veteran internationalist.
“And from that moment when he was in Adamson, he’s gonna be a tough kid in the league, and he’s proving it every single conference, every single night out. You can see that his team also trusts him as well, him being a young player.”
True enough, Lastimosa is now becoming one of Coach LA Tenorio’s more trusted wards on the court, and that was evident on Saturday night.
He was going toe-to-toe, particularly with the more experienced Bong Quinto in the clutch, but exhaustion apparently caught up to him when he made just one of his two free throws with 23.5 seconds left, which could’ve tied it up again.
Newsome won’t hide that they’re happy to have left with the W–and the semis ticket–but he knows at the same time that the Dumaguete-native will only grow from experiences like this, just like what happened to him early in his career.
And as early as now, he’s expecting Lastimosa to come out with a chip on his shoulder, especially when he goes up against the Bolts.
“He’s just gonna learn and keep getting better,” he said. “So for Jerom, I hope he stays healthy. But I know he’s gonna do big things in the league, and he’s gonna be a tough person to match up with in the years to come.
“For now, I’m glad that we got the one-up on him on this one, but I know he’s gonna be hungry whenever we do get that matchup again, and it’s only gonna make him a better competitor down the road.”
