Jielo Razon formally ended his NCAA career on Tuesday and if the veteran guard would look back on his five-year collegiate run, a remark from a former coach will definitely top his list of most unforgettable moments.
The 24-year-old said a former member of Perpetual's coaching staff told him he was 'too small' to play in the collegiate ranks following a three-year stint in the juniors program.
But instead of taking it to heart, Razon turned that comment into motivation as he eventually earned his spot in the ALTAs' roster.
"Pagka-graduate ko ng high school at pumunta na ako sa Perps (for college), hindi ko na ime-mention ‘yung coach, pero sabi niya sa akin na ayaw niya sa akin kasi nung nag-try out ako sa college, sabi niya ‘too small’ daw ako tsaka payat," Razon said. "Naging motivation na ‘yun sa buong career ko."
"Kinausap ako ni Daddy Myk (Saguiguit) na ‘Wala ‘yun, ‘wag mo pakinggan ‘yun kasi ako alam ko ‘yung abilidad mo’. Pero tumatak ‘yun sa isip ko hanggang ngayon."
("When I graduated high school, I went to Perps. I won't mention the coach, but he told me that he didn't want to get me because when I tried out, I was too small and thin... That became my motivation for my whole career... Daddy Myk spoke to me and told me 'Don't listen to him because I know what your abilities are.' But that made a mark on me until now.")
With his entry into the Las Piñas squad being something to remember, Razon made sure his exit made an indelible impression as well.
The ever-reliable guard dropped a career-high 26 points, built around six three-pointers laced with seven rebounds and three assists to lead his team to a 75-60 victory against San Sebastian College-Recoletos.
With Razon leading the way, the ALTAs cruised to their 10th win in 18 games for a glimmer of hope in their Final Four hopes. But that door was closed on them by virtue of San Beda University's 74-56 win against Lyceum later in the day.
Still, Razon was just glad to be able to leave everything on the floor for Perpetual.
"Kahapon pa lang ‘yung mindset ko is medyo gigil na ako sa game kasi sabi ko sa sarili ko, itong last game ko na ‘to ide-dedicate ko sa sarili ko, sa lahat ng pinaghirapan ko, and sa lahat ng pinaghirapan ko simula pa nung high school," Razon added.
"Wala naman akong ginawang kakaiba, sadyang naka-focus lang ako and naisip ko rin ‘yung sinabi ni Coach Myk na ibigay namin ‘yung best namin para makita ng nasa taas na gustong-gusto talaga namin."
("Since yesterday, I was eager for the game because I told myself, this is my last game. I'll dedicate it to myself and the difficulties I went through and everything I worked for since high school... I didn't really do anything different. I was just focused and I thought about what Coach Myk said that we should give it our best so those on top can see how much we want it.")
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
