IT’S rare to see collegiate rookies who stand below six-foot-three to consistently hit the double-digit mark in rebounding, let alone lead the entire league with a healthy margin.
But four games into the NCAA Season 101, San Sebastian’s Jhuniel dela Rama is proving to be one of those rare cases.
The 19-year-old forward has been one of the bright spots for these young Stags, thanks to his uncanny ability to crash the boards owing to his sheer grit and determination to go after the ball every time that he gets the chance.
READ: Labagala sees lessons, not losses after young Stags' slow start
Dela Rama is currently leading the league in rebounding at 12.7 boards a night, well ahead of JRU slotman Ivan Panapanaan who’s hauling an impressive 10.2 per game.
Nearly half of those comes from the offensive end – with his 5.5 offensive boards giving the Stags a lot of extra possessions.
For Dela Rama, it all starts in the gym, the place where he prepares his body for all the jockeying and the physicality against men mostly bigger than him.
“Sa intensity lang talaga at sa kundisyon ng katawan ko,” Dela Rama told Spin.ph.
“Dahil doon, feeling ko kaya ko kunin lahat ng rebound kung makakatalon ako ng maayos,” he added.
After a brief feeling out stage in his debut against Perpetual Help where he only grabbed four rebounds, the former Letran Squire has dominated the glass since then.
He grabbed 11 against Arellano before hauling down an unreal 23 rebounds over Lyceum – which also turned out to be their first win in the tournament.
Against one of the taller teams in the league in Mapua, he proved that his big rebounding nights over his last two weren’t by luck as he hauled down 13, though it unfortunately resulted in a loss.
Being one of the smaller teams in the tournament, Dela Rama knows that he has to work extra hard to give his team a chance – and that’s exactly what he’s been doing so far.
“Oo naman, nakita natin, yung Mapua mas malalaki sila sa amin pero alam kong makatulong ang mga rebounds ko para ma-push namin ang bola, makatakbo at maka-score kami,” he said.
“Sarap sa pakiramdam na as a rookie nagagawa ko parin ng tama yung dapat kong ginagawa.
His effort is definitely not lost on his head coach in Rob Labagala.
Asked to describe what he sees in Dela Rama, the rookie coach who made a name for himself in the pros for his grit and tenacity despite being one of the smaller players in the PBA said it all boils down to one thing.
“Heart,” Labagala said.
“I think he’s a kind of player na talagang pumu-puso talaga maglaro, all-out talagang maglaro.”
But while most people are surprised with the rebounding prowess of the Ormoc City pride, Labagala isn’t really that shocked to see his player perform this way.
It all starts with how he handles himself in practices.
“I’m happy na nadito siya sa Baste and I’m happy also for him because he deserves it. Isa siya sa klaseng tao na really a hardworking and coachable guy and every game, every practice he gives it all,” he said.
“Di na ako nagugulat whenever he plays here, I just hope na he’ll continue to do well and work hard kasi alam kong [may] mapupuntahan siyang mas maganda.”
While his numbers on the rebounding end have been impressive, Dela Rama knows he’s got plenty of things to work on, especially with his shot.
The 6’2 forward believes his offense needs plenty of work as while his average of 9.2 a night isn’t too bad, his shooting clip of 29 percent could use a lot of work.
“Kailangan ko pa mag-dagdag lalo na sa outside shooting ko, pati yung mga drives ko going to the basket. Kailangan ko rin magcommunicate pa sa mga teammates ko,” he said.
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