In NCAA Season 97, Ry Dela Rosa was reduced to a mere spectator as he completed his recovery from an ACL injury he sustained that forced him to miss Jose Rizal University's campaign.
Now back all healthy, the second generation star said he's more than eager to lead the Heavy Bombers in the upcoming Season 98.
"First few games were tough for me because I wanted to play with my brothers. I'd love to compete with them," Dela Rosa, who spent most of his recovery in San Diego, California, recalled.
"It was very hard, the mental aspect really took over and you kind of just have to live with it and do what you can to recover and make the most out of what you have in the moment."
The 24-year-old guard sustained the injury in July 2021 when he was playing hoops with his father, Romy, back at home in San Diego. He went under the knife immediately in September 2021 and was only able to join JRU in May this year.
Dela Rosa shared he's lucky to have the guidance of his father, who had suffered two ACL injuries during his playing days. He also got tips from his older brother Rome, who is currently playing in the PBA with Magnolia.
"I got tips from my brother, he told me to take control of what I can control. It's definitely a learning lesson but I got more tips from my Dad because he also had two ACL surgeries," Dela Rosa added.
"I'm thankful he was there to kind of help me, especially me being in San Diego so he was around me a lot. He told me to just grind it out, keep working on my game."
With the lessons he learned from almost one year of no basketball, Dela Rosa said he's slowly embracing the leadership role in JRU.
"I'm very eager. I'm glad to be back with my teammates and represent this school. I'm just thankful just to be in this moment," he said.
"I'm definitely embracing the role, it's coming in fast because a year ago I wasn't able to walk. Now, I'm in this moment but during these times, you just have to enjoy it and you can't put pressure on yourself."
—JMB, GMA News
