Though it took everyone else a while to take notice of Jhuniel Dela Rama, one believer recognized his potential from the very start — and that belief has been the driving force behind his meteoric rise during his rookie year with San Sebastian College-Recoletos in the ongoing NCAA Season 101.
The 20-year-old do-it-all forward revealed that his older brother, Romart, has been his fan, mentor, and source of motivation all rolled into one from the days he first picked up a basketball in their hometown of Puerto Bello in Ormoc, to the time he flew to Cebu and Manila to pursue the sport religiously.
Even now, as he makes a name for himself in the NCAA, Jhuniel continues to lean on his brother.
"Kasi ‘yung kuya ko lang ‘yung naniniwala sa akin. Kuya ko lang ‘yung nagpu-push sa akin na mag-basketball," Dela Rama told GMA News Online on Saturday after steering the Stags to an upset win against league-leading Perpetual.
Romart was actually the first person to introduce Jhuniel to basketball. The younger Dela Rama even recalled bursting into tears after a hard pass from his elder brother during a childhood pick-up game in Ormoc.
"Nu’ng una pa nga po, pumasa siya sa akin tapos hindi ko nakita kasi sobrang dilim. Binato niya ako tapos umiyak ako," Jhuniel recalled in jest.
Now in the NCAA, the 6-foot-2 Jhuniel stressed that he isn’t just chasing his own dream, but also living out Romart’s.
Jhuniel shared that Romart had also dreamed of playing on big stages like the NCAA, but those aspirations were put on hold years ago after an incident that left him unable to walk for several days.
"Dahil sa kuya ko [kaya ako naglalaro]. Dahil pangarap niya mag-basketball kaso hindi niya natuloy kasi maraming nangyari sa kanya kaya pinagpatuloy ko ‘yung gusto niya," Jhuniel said.
"Nalumpo siya. Parang pagkatapos ng isang laro, nagbabad siya, naligo siya. Parang sa sobrang pagod niya po, kasi pumupunta pa siya sa laot eh, nangingisda siya tapos naglalaro pa."
With Romart guiding him, Jhuniel has been taking the NCAA by storm.
He is currently the leading rebounder with 12.0 boards per game while also ranking fourth in steals with 1.6 per match. But recently, Jhuniel is proving he can be an offensive threat as well.
In the Stags' last two games, Jhuniel flaunted his shooting abilities, draining the game-winning jumper against Colegio de San Juan de Letran for an 82-81 win before hitting two clutch triples late to stun the ALTAs, 62-61.
Both victories saw San Sebastian play the role of streak-buster, snapping the Knights’ five-game winning streak and halting Perpetual’s four-game run.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
