IT'S hard to imagine a rare talent like Jayson Castro William slipping through the nets cast by recruiters of some of the country's biggest college basketball programs.
He did.
A young Castro never got a second look from any of the country's major schools as he wrapped up his high school career in Pampanga. No Metro Manila school bothered to make an offer except for Philippine Christian University and San Beda.
That hardly bothered Castro, who, despite making waves in the SCUAA regional meet and a national Nike 3x3 tournament, harbored no grand plans for college. All he wanted was a scholarship and perhaps free lodging thrown in, Castro said.
"Basta maka-libre lang ng tuition at may matitirhan sa Maynila, okay na ako doon," says the soft-spoken pride of Betis in Pampanga. "Kung sino makakabigay sa akin ng libreng pag-aaral at matutuluyan, doon na ako [maglalaro]."
Castro, 34, was so underrated he didn't even get to play for the all-province selections put together by now Pampanga governor Dennis 'Delta' Pineda, who is credited for nurturing the careers of the likes of Arwind Santos and Calvin Abueva.
"Sa SCUAA at sa barangay leagues lang ako naglalaro noon," says Castro.
But something happened in the summer after his senior year in high school at Don Honorio Ventura College of Arts and Trade (now DHVSU after becoming a state university) and before Castro's freshman year at PCU - he grew by three inches.
From a 5-foot-7 point guard with quickness, a terrific leap and raw but amazing athleticism, he became a 5-10 point guard with all of the above.
That prodigious talent ended up going to PCU - then a newbie trying to establish itself in the decades-old NCAA - instead of San Beda, which, according to Castro, missed securing his commitment by a week.
"Late sila ng one week," Castro says of San Beda officials, "nung dumating sila sa bahay, sabi ko nakuha na ako ng mga taga-PCU."
Castro says his family wasn't well off, and they certainly couldn't afford sending him to Manila for an education. That was why he was so thankful to PCU and people like Bong Sales, who was their team manager at that time.
"Sobrang pasalamat ko sa kanya, dahil minsan inaabutan n'ya kami ng P500 para pang-gastos sa isang linggo. Masaya na kami don," he says. "Kung bibigyan ka, okay. Kung wala naman, okay pa rin."
The PCU program offered decent meals to athletes - "Suportado kami sa pagkain, mga P200 a day," he says - but none of the perks both overt and covert now offered by major UAAP and NCAA schools to players, but Castro never complained.
In fact, Castro says the tough road he endured in college defined the player that he became today.
"Naging added motivation sa akin 'yon," he says, "dahil natuto ako kung paano mag-survive. Kapag di ka nakaranas ng hirap, hindi ka magiging successful. At sa hirap ng pinagdaanan mo, mas sweet kapag naging successful ka."
Castro went to the Final Four thrice as a PCU player while delivering the school's only NCAA championship in 2004. He later became a star both in the PBA and with Gilas Pilipinas, twice named as the Best Point Guard in Asia.
But if you want to know why Castro, as accomplished as he is now, plays every game with a chip on his shoulder, you only need to look back to his days at PCU which he helped turn into one of the best underdog stories in NCAA basketball.
"Kapag dumaan ka sa ganon, you want to prove yourself palagi," Castro says, "kahit saan ka makarating."
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