CHICAGO - After the hurt of a Final Four loss to the Ateneo Blue Eagles yesterday, Jerom Lastimosa is getting a lot of love.
His phone is blowing up with messages from family members, well-wishers, friends and sports agents.
Lastimosa is also being pelted with calls from overseas teams, including one from the Korean Basketball League (KBL) where he is being enticed to play for the princely sum of $12,000 a month.
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Lastimosa, an unselfish, cat-quick point guard who can score anywhere on the court, also has three suitors from the Japan B.League, including a Division 2 team that has dangled $8,000 a month plus the usual perks - free apartment, a car, the whole nine yards.
I spoke to Jerom on the phone during the final stretch of the elimination round and he said he wasn't thinking about playing overseas at that time.
""Focus lang usa ko sa Adamson karon. Mao na akong top priority" (I'm focusing on playing for Adamson right now. That is my top priority," he said.
Lastimosa did admit that the offers are very flattering and the idea of potentially achieving financial freedom by playing basketball overwhelms him. He revealed that a lawyer and a trusted confidant, a man of the cloth, is helping him go through contracts that come his way.
GOING, GOING, GONE?
Whether he would leave after Season 85 or finish the remaining year of his college eligibility, Jerom wants to make it clear that he is enjoying his time at Adamson and he's in no hurry to start the professional chapter of his career.
"Maayo kaayo ilang pag trato sa akoa diri," (The university has really taken good care of me during my stay here," he said. "Wala jud koy dautan nga masulti (I have nothing but good things to say)."
In a separate interview, Adamson head coach Nash Racela emphasized that while he'd love to have Jerom back for a final run, he won't get in the way if he decided to leave.
"It's his decision to make."
Has Jerom made up his mind?
"Not yet," he told me tonight while he was raiding the buffet at Tong Yang Shabu Shabu and Barbecue Grill at Robinsons Place in Manila.
FALCON KING
And while Jerom Lastimosa was the centerpiece of Adamson's improbable flight, the Falcons had plenty to celebrate during the team dinner.
Considering the obstacles they went through, making the Final Four was a feat of wonder for Adamson.
The Falcons watched AP Manlapaz get hurt in the first game of the season, an injury that sidelined him until the Ateneo game in the second round. Joel Sabandal was also hurt in the FEU game followed by injuries to Lastimosa and Vince Magbuhos in the game against U.P.
Despite all the broken body parts and ever-changing line-ups, coach Racela glued the team together to make an improbable run before eventually losing steam against powerhouse Ateneo, which made the Finals for the 15th time in 21 seasons.
What was even more amazing was that Adamson doesn't have the budget of other wealthy schools and their super rich boosters.
"We are not a big spender," Racela said, his voice echoing with pride.
But Adamson did have Jerom Lastimosa.
Well, maybe not any longer.
Given his humble beginnings, the kind of money being thrown at him must be impossible to fathom, and perhaps, foolish to turn down.
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