Matty Erolon, Joshua Barcelona to remain with Adamson

Two of the brightest prospects in Adamson High School have decided to stay at home.

Shooter Matty Erolon and bruiser Joshua Barcelona have committed to the Soaring Falcons, Saturday evening.

For Erolon, this was his way of giving back to the school that gave him a break.

“Napagdesisyunan ko na mag-stay sa Adamson kasi malaki po ang utang na loob ko sa kanila,” expressed the native of Dumaguete City.

“Sila ang nagbigay sa akin ng opportunity na makamit ang pangarap ko na makapaglaro sa UAAP. Malaki rin ang tulong nila sa pag-aaral ko.”

Erolon, 18, transferred from Asian College-Dumaguete to Adamson in 2019. In his first UAAP Season, the 6-foot guard ended up averaging a team-high 15.44 points on 31-percent shooting from deep to go along with 3.63 points, 2.81 assists, and 1.69 steals per game.

On the other hand, Barcelona, who was raised in London, made his Adamson debut in Season 81.

After averaging just 2.9 points and 2.3 rebounds during his rookie year, the 6-foot-4 forward upped his norms in Season 82, norming 7.25 points and 6.31 boards per game.

The duo – along with eventual-MVP Jake Figueroa and head coach Mike Fermin – were able to power the Baby Falcons to a third place finish in Season 82.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, however, the two can no longer play their Grade 12 campaign in the UAAP. Still, Erolon is glad that he and Barcelona can continue their journey together.

“Sobrang saya po kasi kahit hindi kami nakapaglaro ng isang taon, nakapag-build naman kami ng chemistry na madadala namin pag-akyat ng college,” expressed Erolon.

The two are huge pick-ups for the rebuilding Soaring Falcons squad that had already recruited Andrei Abellera, Mario Barasi, Jhon Calisay, RS delos Reyes, Joaquin Jaymalin, Adrian Punzalan, and RV Yanes a year ago.

And Erolon is aiming high for the next five years.

“Goal ko sa Adamson for the next five years is makapag-champion kami.

“Alam ko na hindi magiging madali at mas madaling sabihin kaysa gawin, kaya I’m going to work hard to achieve that goal,” he vows.