LA Tenorio made a name for himself as one of the PBA’s top point guards. So, it isn’t surprising that he is trying to mold his own young point guard, Jerom Lastimosa, into one of the league’s best today. In fact, developing Lastimosa has become one of Tenorio’s personal projects—along with turning the Magnolia Hotshots into contenders.
That process has had its ups and downs, for sure. But on Friday, in Magnolia’s 105-88 victory over the Meralco Bolts, Lastimosa showed that Tenorio’s mentorship is doing wonders for his game as he fired 11 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Hotshots’ searing breakaway. Equally important, he orchestrated the Magnolia offense masterfully as he absolutely took over the game.
Tenorio Happy With Lastimosa’s Response
After the game, Tenorio gave Lastimosa his flowers while also admitting that he gets on the former Adamson Falcon the most—but only because he sees the potential of the 28-year-old guard.
“Si Jerom, buti nagre-respond. Alam ng mga player siya madalas kong pagalitan because I know kung anong kaya niyang gawin sa team na ‘to,” Tenorio said about Lastimosa. “Kaya sabi ko sa kanya, it’s his responsibility now para matuto siya. May mangyari sa loob ng court o wala, siya ang papagalitan ko, so nagre-respond naman.”
That’s tough love, and lesser players might break. But not Lastimosa, whom Tinyente credits as being a great listener and doer.
“What I like about Jerom is he’s a listener, he’s a good student of the game,” he said. “Ginagawa niya talaga ‘yung mga sinasabi ng coaching staff. Tinututukan ko rin, isa sa mga tinututukan ko si Jerom ‘cause I know that he can be special…”
On Friday, Lastimosa submitted a special fourth quarter for sure—and it’s something he has done every now and then in his time with Tenorio.
Now, the challenge is to do it on a more consistent basis.
