Despite seeing her first season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Women’s Basketball come to an end with a sixth place finish at a 4-10 win-loss record, Jhazmin Joson can still look back Season 80 with her head held up high.
Joson, who was initially doubtful of her decision to leave Northeast Los Angeles to pursue college in the Philippines, instead finds herself justified and fulfilled.
In the early stages of the season, Joson firmly described herself as a playmaker with a “pass-first” mentality. This comes as no surprise as her two biggest hardwood heroes are premier National Basketball Association (NBA) point guards Steve Nash and Chris Paul.
As the season progressed, however, the freshman floor general eventually found herself expanding the horizons of her style of play; Joson found herself attacking the basket and hitting elbow jumpshots at higher rates. In a 49-60 loss against the National University (NU) Lady Bulldogs, she displayed her potential to be an all-around threat for the Lady Eagles, as she put up one of her finest displays of the season with a career-high 14 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
Although a rookie, Joson has also shown her potential to become a leader and game-closer for the Lady Eagles. In the dying seconds of their game against the University of the Philippines Lady Maroons, Joson brilliantly took on two defenders off the dribble to hit a contested go-ahead floater for the 44-42 victory.
Early in the season, Joson admitted that the defensive side of her game was one of the major problems. During training, Joson would work on improving her defense by matching up against the “speedy” players on her team such as starting point guard Hazelle Yam. “I feel like I did improve a little–[although] I know that I can definitely work on it more to get better,” evaluates Joson.
Beyond the court, Joson says that the bonds she has built with her fellow Lady Eagles also served as one of the major parts of her rookie experience.
“[One of the] highlights of my rookie season was getting to know the team both inside and outside of the court. I like meeting new people and being able to play in the Philippines and seeing the difference from [high school basketball in the United States].”
With her first season now in the bag, Joson is hoping for more memorable years as a member of the Ateneo Lady Eagles. “For the following UAAP seasons, I’m hoping [to improve even more as a player], go further in the season as compared to this year, and to bond even more with the team,” says Joson.
“Representing the Ateneo this season was an honor–it felt like I was home again. To be honest, I would’ve definitely regretted [the decision of] not going back home. This season was definitely a fun first-time experience to play in the UAAP.”
