MJ Raymundo was ready to say goodbye to basketball three years ago, until Louie Gonzales and the Muntinlupa Cagers held a tryout in Bulacan in 2021 where his passion for the sport was reignited.
Right there and then, Gonzales saw something in Raymundo that made him decide to give the young aspirant another shot at hoops.
"Alam n'yo naman kung ano ‘yung nagpapa-impress sa akin sa players, ‘yung hustle, ‘yung tapang, and ‘yung grit sa laro. And grabe ‘yung gigil niya sa laro," Gonzales shared on Wednesday.
"And ‘yung attitude niya na hindi siya makukuntento."
Proving that Gonzales' decision was right, Raymundo delivered to help the Heavy Bombers barge into the win column of NCAA Season 100, posting a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds to go with two assists, three blocks, one steal.
With the 6-foot guard leading the way, JRU was able to end a three-game losing slump.
On the day of his breakout performance, Raymundo looked back on how he pursued his basketball career but was denied at first.
Back when he was in senior high school, Raymundo's father joined him in roaming around Manila in hopes to attend walk-in basketball tryouts for junior teams, but no team gave him time of day.
That made Raymundo think that, maybe, basketball was not for him.
After finishing his secondary studies, he spent one semester of college at World Citi Colleges (WCC) in Quezon City under the Aircraft Mechanics program. However, the open tryout Gonzales and Muntinlupa held in Bulacan allowed Raymundo to reevaluate his life decisions.
“Pandemic siya, hindi ko na alam if babalik pa ‘yung basketball sa akin. Magfi-first year college na ako and wala pa rin akong school na pwedeng paglaruan kasi ang plano ko talaga is maglalaro ako for college,” he shared.
“Nu’ng senior high school po ako nagta-try out sana for juniors kaso walang tumatanggap sa akin. Ang ginawa namin ni Papa ay nagikot-ikot kami sa Manila tapos wala talaga.”
Now playing in the country's first collegiate league, Raymundo is just out to give his best in every game.
"Binigay ko lang talaga ‘yung best ko ngayon, habang naglalaro ako iniisip ko lang ‘yung family ko. ‘Yun ‘yung nagbibigay ng lakas ng loob sa akin," Raymundo said.
—JKC, GMA Integrated News
