Jerom Lastimosa expressed his gratitude to the Adamson community for their unwavering support in the latest battle of the well-loved Soaring Falcons icon.
The 25-year-old guard from Dumaguete suffered a complete ACL tear in his left knee after colliding knees with University of the Philippines’ Gerry Abadiano last Wednesday.
He made his season debut against the Fighting Maroons, but it did not go as planned.
Lastimosa ended up going down with another injury – one that would end his collegiate career.
“Lagi akong nagpapasalamat sa Adamson community kasi nandiyan sila lagi nakasupport sa amin through ups and downs, win or lose,” he said, noting that he will remain on the sidelines to lead the team.
“We will always continue to do our best para manalo lagi every game and we will always try our best na makapasok kami sa Final Four and of course to make it to the Finals,” continued Lastimosa, who will now lead the Falcons from the sidelines as they push for a Final Four spot.
While his collegiate basketball career came to an unfortunate and abrupt end, the pride of Dumaguete looks forward to working his way back to the court after his surgery.
He will undergo surgery after the Falcons’ final game in Season 86. The reason for the delay is that Lastimosa wants to sing the Adamson hymn with the community and the team one final time on the UAAP floor.
“Mag-aggressive rehab pa rin ako after surgery,” he said regarding his plan.
Lastimosa also shared that his teammates had been planning to honor him by putting his name on their jerseys. Instead, though, head coach Nash Racela challenged them to give tribute to their leader by playing their best.
The Falcons heeded the call.
They beat Far Eastern University, 63-54, on Sunday, bringing their win-loss record to 4-5 – just half a game behind fourth-running Ateneo de Manila University.
“Kanina nga nagpaplano sila na ilagay yung pangalan ko sa jersey, sinabihan ni Coach Nash na, ‘No need to do that kasi kung talagang gusto niyong ihonor si Jerom sa laro na ito, ipakita niyo sa laro.’”
