AFTER staying in the shade of the bench last season, Jhuniel Dela Rama finally got time under the sun for Letran in the NCAA Season 100 juniors basketball tournament.

And boy, did the 19 year old make each and every second count, posting per game counts of 12.6 points in 48.8-percent shooting on top of 9.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.1 blocks for the Squires.

PHOTO: NBTC/Angela Davocol

While they fell short of defending their title, they nonetheless secured the second-seed at the end of eliminations powered by breakout seasons from Dela Rama and Daniel Padilla.

“Last year po, marami ‘pong mga seniors sa amin na kailangan pong grumaduate. Kaya ngayon sobrang thankful ako kay coach Willie [Miller], kasi ginamit niya ako, binigyan niya ako ng kumpiyansa,” he said.

Of course, the 6-foot-2 forward cherishes the championship he won with Letran in Season 99, but just as welcome is getting quality time after only seeing action in six games a year ago, with norms of 1.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in nine minutes of play.

With his breakout, Dela Rama found himself recognized as an NBTC All-Star - even placing 14th in the annual list of the top 24 under-19 players in the Philippines.

“Isang malaking achievement po, hindi ko po inaasahan na masasali po ako doon,” he said.

PHOTO: NCAA Philippines/GMA Sports

And so, in his last year in the juniors ranks, he becomes the latest in the Squires' long line of rising stars in recent history - following the footsteps of the likes of Andy Gemao and Titing Manalili.

Whether or not he remains in Intramuros remains to be seen, however. Contrary to earlier reports, Dela Rama has not yet committed to getting promoted from Squire to Knight, and is still weighing his options.

According to sources closely monitoring the situation, continuing to don the blue-and-red is one of those options, of course, but that is far from a done deal.

For now, what's certain is that our eyes have been opened about Letran's breakout star - and we have to keep our eyes on him wherever he goes.

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