Carrying his Lolo’s belief, Sean Salvador sets his eyes on the biggest prize

A week after Sean Salvador’s emotional game-winner against Mapúa, the JRU guard is looking beyond the shot and toward what could be a much bigger season for the Heavy Bombers.

JRU followed its opening-day victory over the Cardinals with a 73-69 win over College of Saint Benilde, putting the Heavy Bombers at 2-0 in and on top of Group A.

For Salvador, though, that Mapua game will always hold a special place.

The former Mapúa Red Robin had to face his high school alma mater just days after his grandfather’s death anniversary on September 10 and his own birthday on September 11.

Before the opener, Salvador asked his lolo for a little help. “Lo, tulungan mo kaming makuha yung first game namin against former school ko,” he recalled.

Everyone saw the shot, but not everyone saw the tears that came after it. “Grabe, grabe yung answered prayer sa akin ni Lord, yung lolo ko,” Salvador said.

The moment was also for the family behind his basketball journey, whose sacrifices Salvador knows are not always visible. “Yung family ko na grabe yung sakripisyo sa araw-araw. Hindi nakikita ng ibang tao,” he said. “For my family talaga yung tira ko.”

That sense of purpose has also carried into Salvador’s decision to stay in JRU, one that was still up in the air last season. Salvador had once put his chances of returning to the Heavy Bombers at 70%. And ultimately, his heart chose to stay and now slowly seeing what he once envisioned come into fruition.

From a rookie season where he was the squad’s second lead scorer, the 20 year-old Montalban native wants this season to show more of his maturity. The Heavy Bombers now have more talent and depth, and Salvador has embraced what that means for his own game. It may be lesser minutes, lesser shot attempts but if that means winning it all, he’s all in to sacrifice those.

There is still a long way to go, but the early results are beginning to reflect the goal that JRU has set for 102. The goal is not simply to start strong. They want to go back to the promised land.

For Salvador, that means continuing to grow into his role while playing for the family that has sacrificed for him and honoring the grandfather he continues to carry with him.

The Mapua game gave Salvador a moment he will never forget. What comes next, he hopes, is something that JRU has been long awaiting since 1972.