SEEING his cousin Kevin Ferrer don the familiar black-and-gold, Bismarck Lina has always envisioned himself wearing the same threads of University of Santo Tomas.
"Dati pa lang, halos napapanood ko na mga games nila at nakita ko kung paano niya i-lead yung team," he said.
Fast forward to now, and the 6-foot-4 forward will indeed follow the footsteps of his kuya Kevin as he opted to stay in España despite all of the offers elsewhere.
Lina admitted that Ferrer, who also was a former Tiger Cub who made the transition to the Growling Tigers, factored in when it came to his decision.
"Malaking influence si kuya Kevin sa akin. Nakita ko rin na grabe din talaga ang suporta ng UST community kaya doon ako na-inspire," he said.
The 18-year-old Lina will be the third homegrown player to progress from the high school side to the seniors team after CJ Cansino and Mark Nonoy.
Moreover, the former Gilas Youth member sees himself blending in perfectly in coach Aldin Ayo's system as he joins an exciting frontline featuring last year's MVP Soulemane Chabi Yo and versatile forward Rhenz Abando.
"Alam ko sa sarili ko na dito ako sa UST and with Coach Aldin mag-grow as a player. I really feel blessed dahil goal po talaga makapaglaro sa UST seniors dati pa," he said.
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