Tags: Basketball, UAAP
By Marjorie Gorospe
MANILA CITY, METRO MANILA – What Jeric Fortuna lacks in height, he makes up for it by being one of the most reliable players for the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers.
The sophomore Fortuna is becoming a go-to guy this season as the Tigers try to fill a void left by former star player Dylan Ababou.
Aside from fulfilling point guard duties, Fortuna is also proving he can light it up from the outside, scoring a career-high 29 points in their recent win against University of the Philippines (UP).
A former high school star for La Salle Zobel, he was personally discovered by UST head coach Pido Jarencio. Coach Pido admits Fortuna is an underrated player when compared to star players from top teams like Far Eastern University and Ateneo.
“He’s underrated because he is young. But he can easily identify the best person to pass the ball to. I can call him a pure point guard,” says Jarencio, who counts his ward as one of the best point guards this UAAP season.
Fortuna, meanwhile, doesn’t regret picking UST over other schools where he could build his college basketball career. “I just wanted to play basketball because it makes me forget whatever problems I have,” he reveals.
Playing in his second UAAP season, Fortuna believes a player must know both his strengths and weaknesses to improve his game. He believes his strength lies in his passing skills and decision making, both essential to being a good point guard.
“If I can’t dribble well, then I can’t deliver well as a point guard. The team also relies even on simple passes that I do,” he says, noting that the downside of being a point guard is that people (including his family) expect him to always shoot since the ball is in his hands.
“They expect me to take shots. I can do it but I’m not after the recognition. I know my responsibility to the team, that’s what I try to tell them.”
By his own description, Jerick Fortuna is not content with himself, at least when talking about basketball. “There are many talented players but mediocrity will hinder a player to have a better future once he becomes content with his game.”
(This article also appears on Yahoo! College Hoops)
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