He is listed six-foot-two, and he considers explosive and heady guards like Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry and Ricky Rubio as his favorite NBA players. Similarly, he had manned the point for his high school team, the Xavier Stallions, which won multiple championships.
But Jeron Teng can do much more than dish the ball to open teammates and provide spacing on the floor. He can do almost everything on the court, even stunts not reflected on the statsheet.
The good news is, he will be donning the all-familiar Green-and-White jersey of the DLSU Green Archers.
“Expect me to do everything I can to help the team,” he says. Passing and playing hard-nosed defense are some of the things Jeron will bring, but if there is one thing he does best, it is scoring buckets. And there is no better testament to this than when he poured a staggering 104 points in a single game against rival Grace Christian College at the Tionglian Basketball Tournament.
Reflecting on his four years of playing for the Stallions, Jeron recalled that his best experience was their team celebration of its victory in the Tionglian Tournament by going to Taiwan. He also got to play against some of the highschool teams in Taiwan.
Teng gained further experience by donning the national colors, as he played for the Under-16 and Under-18 teams under current NU Bulldogs mentor Eric Altamirano. His stint with the national team was highlighted when he competed in the 2010 Youth Olympic Games alongside current Bulldog Ray-Ray Parks and Tamaraw Mike Tolomia. It was during this time that he met Green Archer Dan Sara, whom he is looking forward to play with.
Since then, he has been touted as one of the best highschool players in the country, which brought his name enmeshed in the heated recruitment wars, with several schools trying to get him on their teams. But Jeron, the son of former PBA cager Alvin Teng and the younger brother of UST Growling Tigers skipper Jeric, waited patiently as he fulfilled his duty for the Stallions before making a decision.
And in early January, the air around Taft Avenue thickened with anticipation as Jeron Teng was photographed garbed in a La Salle varsity jacket and cap, cordially shaking the hand of Br. Bernie Oca, FSC, the Vice Chancellor for Lasallian Missions and Alumni Relations.
He relates, however, that his decision-making process was a complicated one; he even went to several Chinese temples to ask which school would be best for him. And in the end, it turned out to be La Salle and the Green Archers. “I also think that [studying in] La Salle will be good for me,” adds Teng, who is currently taking up Marketing as his undergraduate course.
There was another factor that led him to his decision to play for the Archers. “What’s nice about La Salle is the crowd and their alumni,” he states, noticing the unwavering support of fans and alumni on the Taft-based squad. “There are so many of them who supported me, and I want to thank them personally someday.”
“I love to drive to the basket and get fouled, but I am also a team player,” Jeron reveals his versatile playing style, which makes him fit for the wing position (shooting guard or small forward) for the Archers, where he will be teaming up with the likes of veterans Joshua Webb, Joseph Marata, and Oda Tampus.
And since he has made a habit out of winning in his high school days, he wants this streak to continue once he dons the La Salle uniform. “I’ll work really hard to help La Salle get wins and hopefully get into the Final Four and then the Finals,” he adds.
The previous season of the UAAP had just ended, but the DLSU Green Archers have already heralded their bid to return to basketball supremacy by securing several blue-chip recruits, most notable of which is potent scorer Jeron Teng, who will be shredding defences, diving for loose balls, and passing the leather—all in his desire to help his new team win.
“I want to make the La Salle community proud. But I know I cannot do that alone. It is the whole team that is playing, so we all have to play well.”
