Roma Mae Doromal–MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
As former Ateneo skipper and libero Roma Mae Doromal makes the jump to the pros by joining the PVL Draft, she’s making it clear that she just wants to achieve something in the pro league that has eluded her in the UAAP.
“I never experienced [winning] a championship,” Doromal said in Filipino as she and 46 others in the aspirants pool await their respective fates in the July 8 Draft. “I am really hopeful that in the PVL [when I am drafted] I can do something about it.”
In her three years with the Blue Eagles, Doromal only reached the Final Four once and capped off her UAAP stint just short of the semifinals of Season 86.
Under coach Sergio Veloso, the 5-foot-4 skipper helped Ateneo finish fifth with a 5-9 record, but what she learned from the Brazilian mentor will be her main weapon if she gets picked in the historic, first-ever Draft.
“I feel like other than the skills I’ve accumulated, my leadership inside the court [is my biggest takeaway from Ateneo],” Doromal said. “This time, I want to, even as a rookie, lead the team that I will go to.
Showing loyalty
“Coach Sergio has helped me to really become a leader, so for sure, I will be able to bring that as well as the skills in terms of technicalities.”
The 23-year-old defensive stalwart showed her loyalty to her alma mater after staying for one last run with the Blue Eagles even after already finishing her communications degree last year, where Ateneo ended up sixth with a 4-10 record to miss the Final Four for the first time in 15 years.
Now, despite being among the young bloods trying her luck in the pros, Doromal wants to apply everything she’s learned as a UAAP star and help the team that will take a chance on her on Monday where former La Salle star Thea Gagate will be made the first-ever No. 1 pick by rebuilding Zus Coffee under Jerry Yee.
And her sister, Galeries Tower mainstay Roma Joy, will be guiding her as she embarks on this journey.
“She told me to just enjoy the journey,” the younger Doromal said. “It’s actually scary feeling, a lot of emotions, but at the same time even if I am scared, I will continue fighting and let things happen as long as I give my best.” INQ