Green Journal: Joshua Torralba v.4

The LaSallian caught up with Joshua Torralba in the final edition of his Green Journal as he shows his appreciation for former Green Archers head coach Juno Sauler, the Lasallian Community, and fans of the Green Archers.

On having a fan club

As far as the “Torralbae” fans, it’s crazy. It’s a blessing to be acknowledged by other people for my game, or whatever it may be of me. It’s a blessing from God that He has me here. I just want to point it all back to Him, because it’s not all about me. It’s about Him.

I’m just a normal student-athlete, and it’s crazy having such support. They [the fans] been so generous and amazing. It’s a blessing talaga and I never pictured having them. They send me snacks, shirts, and even pasalubong. I’ll do my best to entertain them with whatever it may be as their kuya or something. I’m always on social media and I try to reply as much as I can. It’s just my first year here in La Salle and hopefully they continue to support me and the team.

On Coach Juno Sauler’s departure

It’s a shocker to me that Coach Juno left. It’s kind of sad especially for Jeron [Teng] and Jason [Perkins], since he won the championship with them in 2013. He came in a few weeks before that season, and ended with a championship. That’s hard.

Coach Juno has very good basketball IQ, and would pinpoint stuff that we players would never see. Athletes want to see all the things in the game that stand out. To him, the little things you don’t see on the stat sheet like communicating and putting your hands up on defense stick out, and that makes a difference.

He helped me mold my game as far as doing those little things, like running harder or playing better defense. It’s hard to lose him, because he was my first coach here in La Salle. He got several championships for La Salle [including his stint with the Lady Archers]. What he has done for DLSU will not be forgotten even though we lost this year. This last season does not define the person he is or his time as the coach of the Green Archers. He said his goodbyes and expects a lot from us, and I have so much respect for him.

Bouncing back

I’m reading this book from my pastor, and he said, “Your fruitfulness will always follow after your faithfulness.” Our faith was really tested in [UAAP] Season 78 going through a lot of defeats but we didn’t give up on each other. I believe that the fruit or whatever God has in store for us is going to blossom in Season 79. What we went through this season, and what we’re going to go through in the offseason is all in preparation for what He has for us. It won’t be easy, but we’re going to put work into it. We’ve been through so much and we’re going to rise from this.

We’re also optimistic, because other teams will be losing their main players. We’re not going to lose anyone as far as I know, and we’re bringing in Ben Mbala, Brian Johnson, and some other guys. You can have the best talent as a team, but if you can’t play together it won’t work out. We’re going to do what we have to do as a team. We’re in this together. Together we lose, together we win. I have a feeling that it will be our season [next year].

I’ll continue to do my best and show something that they haven’t seen from me. I know that there’s so much more that I can bring to the team. Season 78 showed me what I need to work on mentally and physically both on and off the court. I’ll prepare myself more as far as my conditioning to last longer in the games, since I know that I’ll be defending a lot of good players. I’ll give my best to the team and whatever we have to do to win the championship, I’ll do it. I’m excited for Season 79.

The Lasallian Community

A big thank you to all the people of the Lasallian community. The support that we have, I’ve never had support like this in my career. We may have had bad games and lost, but there are a lot of people who still have faith in us. It’s just a blessing to see that. Whatever happens, they got our backs. We just want to give back to the community and represent our school with pride and do our best. Hopefully we’re going to fulfill that next season. A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!