Just like the majority of the players that were named to the Gilas Pilipinas pool for the Asian Games, JP Erram was caught by surprise during the announcement of the lineup last Sunday.
The 29-year-old was actually having his usual Sunday carwash when he suddenly heard his name on TV.
“Nagpapa-carwash! Live kasi sa TV5 eh tapos nagulat ako sinasabi pangalan ko,” recalled Erram.
“Kinabahan ako bigla eh.”
The tension then quickly turned into excitement, as Erram has been waiting for this moment for a very long time.
Back in 2016, the 6-foot-8 slotman was named to the Gilas pool. However, he tore his anterior cruciate ligament, which kept him out of action for a year.
Since then, Erram has picked up his form, including an impressive outing during the Asia League’s Summer Super 8 that saw him average 11.0 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.
This time around, the product of Ateneo de Manila University will make the most out of his second chance.
“Nagulat ako pero excited kasi nire-represent ko ‘yung country,” expressed Erram, who sat out Monday night’s practice due to some back pains.
“Ever since na naglaro ako ng basketball, ito talaga ‘yung dream ko. Maglaro para sa bansa.”
Moreover, it is his chance to prove to the world what Philippine basketball is really all about.
“Competitive ‘yung team at fresh din ‘yung team,” he said.
“Pero sabi ni coach [Yeng Guiao] na kailangan maging responsible kami sa lahat ng gagawin namin dahil hindi na mother team namin ang paglalaruan naman – bansa na natin.”
