THE CAPTAIN took his talents to a higher level.
Outgoing Growling Tigers captain Jeric Fortuna went pro as he suited up for the San Miguel Beermen in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL).
The 21-year-old point guard, who led the Tigers to a runner-up finish in UAAP Season 75 and the championship in the Philippine Collegiate Champions League (PCCL), will represent not only UST, but also the Philippines.
San Miguel represents the country in the ABL, whose games are held in and out the country.
The pint-sized Fortuna, along with former UST guard Christian Luanzon, Asi Taulava, and other top-caliber cagers, boosts San Miguel’s bid to claim its first championship against five other countries—Thailand Slammers, Indonesia Warriors, Saigon Heat, Singapore Slingers, and Malaysia Dragons. The Beermen finished second last season.
One of Fortuna’s former mentors in UST was all praises for him.
“Since his rookie year, the whole coaching staff of the Growling Tigers really found a great deal of potential in Fortuna,” said UST assistant coach Estong Ballesteros. “He is very coachable, humble, and full of discipline when it comes to playing basketball. On his five-year stay here in UST, he really changed a lot, and we know there are a lot more breaks he can achieve in his basketball career.”
In his debut game for the Beermen against the defending champions Indonesia Warriors in Jakarta last March 8, he produced five points, five rebounds and two steals.
In his final season with the Tigers, Fortuna averaged 8.8 points per game, a league-leading 5.1 assists per game and 5.2 rebounds per game on 34 percent shooting from the field and 76 percent shooting from the free throw line. In PCCL, he was included in the 2012 Mythical Five awardees.
“It’s time to grow up and keep moving forward. The UST community is very proud of him and wherever he goes and whatever he may achieve, it is because the lessons and experiences given to him in his college years are instilled in him,” said Ballesteros. Hedrix Ar-ar C. Caballe
