THOUGHTS | JHUNIEL DELA RAMA TO SAN BEDA!

I will never feel bad for San Beda ever again.

Seriously.

We all know how Janti Miller’s frustration with the NCAA has affected San Beda’s Season 102 campaign. The Red Lions lost a super-scoring superstar because Miller would rather spend two years in UAAP redshirt purgatory than continue dealing with NCAA rules. At the moment, Ateneo’s strict academic system appears to have pushed the Blue Eagles out of the Janti sweepstakes, leaving only DLSU and UP in the race.

But what about San Beda?

In NCAA Season 101, three of the five Mythical First Team selections were rookies. One was Miller, and another was Letran’s brilliant playmaker, Jonathan Manalili. We focused so much on those two because they clashed in the Finals that we almost forgot the other rookie who dominated the league.

Enter Jhuniel Dela Rama.

Formerly of the San Sebastian Golden Stags, Dela Rama is now with the San Beda Red Lions.

And again, I will never feel sorry for San Beda’s ability to recruit top non-UAAP talent.

So how did this happen?

It started when Dela Rama hit a game-winner against Letran, which triggered a chain reaction. In the postgame interview, San Sebastian coach Rob Labagala revealed that the team had not received their allowances from their sponsor for four months. On top of that, the Stags were playing with a depleted roster, with Dela Rama as their lone bright spot.

San Sebastian was eventually eliminated in the play-in by the LPU Pirates, where Dela Rama still put up 17 points and 15 rebounds. Aside from making the Mythical Five, he also won the NCAA Defensive Player of the Year award.

After the season, Labagala was replaced by Tony Tan. Meanwhile, another San Sebastian rookie, Ian Cuajao, is now reportedly looking for a new school because their sponsor has still not fulfilled its obligations. Then, just a day after Miller announced his move to the UAAP, Dela Rama disclosed that he was transferring to San Beda.

That tells you everything.

San Sebastian’s uncertainty pushed JDR to seek stability elsewhere.

In terms of playstyle, I see Dela Rama as a mix of Junthy Valenzuela and Rey Evangelista. It sounds like an odd comparison, but it actually works. He is a versatile forward with range who can rebound like a hulking big man, defend multiple positions, and score with limitless range. Given San Beda’s roster full of young big men, he will likely project as a small forward, which is probably his pro position if he ever makes it to the PBA.

Playing for a championship contender with guaranteed support and allowances should only help him develop further.

Dela Rama will sit out Season 102, but the rivalry with Letran is already brewing. He and Manalili were high school teammates at the Letran Squires, yet they are now set on opposing paths. Even at 6’3 and a double-double threat, Dela Rama will still be compared to Manalili for years to come given their history.

JDR is choosing a school that can better secure his basketball future. The only thing that might stop him from reaching the heights of someone like Calvin Oftana is Manalili’s own growth. The Season 101 Finals exposed some of Manalili’s weaknesses, especially his outside shooting, and he now has a year to fix that.

Meanwhile, what happens to San Sebastian?

When Paeng Are left midseason, Tristan Felebrico became the team’s de facto leader, but his numbers dipped under Labagala. Now that he has graduated, the Stags will likely rely on Cuajao (unless otherwise), Christian Ricio, and Polo Gabat.

The problem is that San Sebastian is currently in complete disarray because of sponsorship issues and the loss of Dela Rama. That is painful to see for a program that once had a five-peat in the 1990s and later produced The Pinatubo Trio of Calvin Abueva, Ian Sangalang, and Ronald Pascual.

Their best hope may lie in Tony Tan’s connections. He likely has Filipino-Canadian prospects lined up who could eventually bolster the roster.

As for San Beda, they might struggle to defend their crown in Season 102, but Season 103 is shaping up to be very interesting.

So again, save your sympathy for the Red Lions.

San Beda always finds a way to tilt the scales in their favor.