MANILA, Philippines—With the first round of the UAAP Season 86 men’s basketball tournament reaching a fever pitch, Adamson coach Nash Racela gave an update on Jerom Lastimosa’s availability for the team. The Soaring Falcons have missed Lastimosa’s services since the beginning of the season due to a knee injury that he sustained during a team practice in the offseason. Lastimosa went under the knife and has since been going to therapy. When asked about the status of his star player, though, Racela began his answer with a humorous tone. “You should follow his Tiktok. You’ll know what’s happening with him,” he said in jest. “Every day, he does therapy like five times a week. I think by next week he’ll probably join us in practice with the calendar that he has. We’ll see.” Despite not being able to suit up, Lastimosa has been consistently on Adamson’s bench during game days. He was also in attendance during the Soaring Falcons’ 72-65 win over University of the East on Sunday at Mall of Asia Arena. Adamson is currently 3-2 for the season. Even before the season started, though, Lastimosa insisted that he would be playing for Adamson sometime during the season. “What I can really say is I will play,” the 5-foot-10 guard said just days before the opening of the UAAP season. It has been an eventful offseason for Lastimosa, though, even despite his injury as he got his jersey retired by Adamson a few weeks back. Last year, Lastimosa averaged 14.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game to steer Adamson to a 7-7 record and a Final Four appearance in Season 85.
