Green Journal: Joshua Torralba v.2

As the crucial stages of the UAAP Season 78 Men’s Basketball tournament begin to unfold, The LaSallian caught up with Green Archer Joshua Torralba and got his thoughts on their season so far as they look to book a ticket to the Final Four.

Grabe talaga the La Salle community’s support; it’s just like what Jason Perkins was saying in his 2013 Green Journal. We even have support from people not even from La Salle and I have so much respect for that. The people from La Salle (especially its alumni) never forget about where they’re from. The Animo spirit is in their hearts and you can feel the vibe during the games. Kahit we’re losing, kahit you could say we give those heart-attack moments. It’s good to see people support us despite what happens. They still have our back.

I sat out the first two games against NU and UP after my finger got ipit sa jersey in a tune-up game. I thought I just popped my knuckle but my finger went all the way back and I thought, “Wow it hurts a lot.” That moment, I was thinking about UAAP, which was in two weeks. All those years sitting out, going around and all that. I was questioning God, but I trusted him because everything happens for a reason.

The last game my brother was able to watch was against FEU, which was my debut for La Salle. Even though the doctor said I had six weeks, he said I could probably play at the fourth or third week. I taped up my hand and I said, “I’ll play defense nalang.” I really wanted my brother to watch me play. That game was for him, since he said he wouldn’t be able to watch me play live for like six years because of his contract.  I surprised him in that game. Coach [Juno Sauler] gave me some minutes. I fouled out though, but I thanked God for the opportunity. Even though I got my hand hurt, I tried to make the best out of it.

The ADMU-DLSU game was a big day for me since it confirmed to me why I’m here. I tried to stay calm, and I did not let my missed shots dictate my game. It’s not just the offense. I’ll just bring my best on defense to guard Kiefer [Ravena] or Von [Pessumal]. Everything came out through God’s word. I was telling myself throughout the game, “Everything’s going to work out for my good.” When I got that last shot, it was a “Wow” moment for me.

After that game, I was like, “Damn I’ve been through so much from EAC all the way to UPTA [University of Texas Pan-American] and La Salle.” That game set the tone as a confirmation from God and with that, nothing could change my decision of coming here. I know it’s for Him. The game winner’s a big deal but I don’t want to live in the past too much. I’ll remember it, but I want to win a championship. That’s my main goal.

I love the word gulang. That’s the biggest experience playing basketball here. You can see the gulang talaga even though we’re smaller than every other country. Calvin Abueva and Marc Pingris in the FIBA Asia Championship gave the best definition of gulang to me. My favorite part about puso is no matter how small we are compared to other teams, we’re going to push you around and play hard. It’s like David and Goliath. That’s the main difference of playing in the States from here. I guess it’s more obvious the way we play. It’s not dirty but more physical.

I was reading Jason’s Green Journal from 2013 and it’s pretty symbolic, because they won the championship that year. We’re going through the same issues as them. Giving heart-attack games and missing free throws were similar to what we’re going through, but we still had a good first round.

Good thing we lost those games so that we could learn from them. Your success really depends on how you rise from a big fall. We’re getting better as a team, and you could see our growth from the beginning to where we’re at right now. Jesus would say, “Do what you can control and leave it all up to him.” We just have to work and focus and control what we can as a team. Whatever comes in our way, we’re going to give it our best and prepare for that situation.

Playing in the UAAP has a different vibe compared to the NCAA or anything else and I just find it as a stepping stone for the championship. I know we can make the finals but it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be tough but we can go through it. I really want to be the X-factor and help out with the little things. Let Jeron, Jason, Thomas, Prince, and all the other players do their part and I’m going to do mine.

See also: Joshua Torralba’s Green Journal v.1