Adamson University entered UAAP Season 87 with tempered expectations.
Once a perennial Final Four contender, the Soaring Falcons were largely counted out due to the departure of the likes of Jerom Lastimosa, Vince Magbuhos, Joem Sabandal, Didat Hanapi, and Jed Colonia.
The exits of these seniors left the community doubting Adamson’s chances of making a deep run this season.
Despite these losses, mainstay guard Joshua Yerro remained steadfast in his belief that Adamson still had the potential to compete.
This confidence, combined with the team’s resilience, has helped the Falcons silence their doubters as they currently hold a 3-2 record, sitting in solo fourth place.
A highlight of their campaign so far is a narrow 60-58 win against a struggling National University squad on Wednesday evening.
In that game, Yerro delivered a moment of brilliance.
With just a third of a second left on the clock, Jhon Calisay executed a perfect lob pass, setting Yerro up for a game-winning alley-oop buzzer-beater.
The victory was a testament not only to the team’s resilience but also to Yerro’s ability to come through in the clutch.
Reflecting on his heroics, Yerro credited assistant coach Gilbert Lao for drawing up the play and instilling confidence in the team during a critical timeout.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Before pa lang nag-timeout, sabi ni Coach Gilbert na stay and focus lang kami kasi baka mag-extra five minutes. Pero sabi ko kay Calisay, ‘Wala nang five minutes ‘to’. Tiwala ka lang, papasok ito,” the Ormoc City, Leyte native bared.
“Nagtiwala lang kasi ako sa sarili ko kasi ‘yun yung binigay ni Coach Gilbert na play. Nagampanan ko na akin talaga ‘yon.”
While Yerro’s on-court performance has been stellar, his leadership on a young and revamped Soaring Falcons squad is equally commendable.
With the departures of key veterans, Adamson brought in fresh talent, including UST product Royce Mantua, Enderun’s AJ Fransman, Arizona’s Austin Ronzone, and Doncaster’s Carl Alexander.
Each newcomer has played a significant role in the Falcons’ 3-2 start.
Yerro emphasized that the belief in one another and in Nash Racela’s system has been crucial to their success.
“Gina-guide ko lang yung mga baguhan, nakikinig naman sila sa akin. Hindi lang naman ako yung karapatan magsabi, sila rin kasi pantay-pantay naman kami,” the University of Visayas product shared.
Despite the influx of new players, the team’s chemistry has quickly developed.
“Kahit maraming bago, nagsstick pa rin kami doon sa sistema. Kumbaga, yung mga bago namin, parang sumasabay na sa amin. Yung mga bago namin, yung gel namin as a team, buo na agad sa start pa lang ng preseason.”
