No. 7 Forever: A Jaworski fan’s amazing collection of Big J replica jerseys

No. 7 Forever: A Jaworski fan’s amazing collection of Big J replica jerseys
Jaemark Tordecilla, InterAKTV · Saturday, July 7, 2012 · 3:29 pm

This feature is part of 7 Days of Jaworski, InterAKTV’s special tribute to the Living Legend, whose jersey will be retired on Sunday, July 8.

Carlo Ricohermoso's Jaworski jersey collection

For Ginebra fan Carlo Ricohermoso, the jersey retirement ceremony of Robert Jaworski is a sacred ceremony.

After all, he’s not just a Jaworski fan; he is also an avid jersey collector, and his collection today contains replicas of many of the jerseys the Living Legend wore over his 23-year PBA career.

Ricohermoso became a fan late in Jaworski’s career, during Ginebra’s mid-1990s resurgence led by Marlou Aquino and Bal David.

“There’s a mystique with Jawo that appealed to me back then,” said Ricohermoso, even though the playing-coach spent more time in the sidelines instead of the hardcourt. He would listen to stories from his uncle, a fellow Jaworski fan, who regaled him with tales of the Big J’s exploits from the early years.

Ricohermoso lucked out sometime in 1999, when he got hold of old issues of the PBA Annual from a janitor at ULTRA, who sold them to him for P50 a pop. He got an issue of the 1978 annual — Jaworski’s MVP year — as well as copies form 1985 to 1995. Through the stories in those issues, he became more immersed in Jaworski’s legend.

A weekend basketball warrior, he began his No. 7 jersey collection with a couple of pieces form eBay and Multiply. After that, he was hooked. He wasn’t just content about buying the jerseys online, and he began researching different uniform styles from Jaworski’s early years to have them custom-made.

Jaworski's Meralco jersey from 1971 in the defunct MICAA

“I researched all photos and I tried to be as accurate as possible. Marami diyan, dinayo ko talaga sa Quiapo to have them made,” he said, adding that he actually went to the same shop where Jaworski and co. got their original uniforms. “From Mendel’s — dun nagpapagawa sina Jawo dati.”

His jersey hobby has made him fall even deeper with Jaworski lore.

“The more I researched about the different jerseys, the more I read about the stories behind each one of them. Like, say, the Toyota ’80 that they wore when they lost to U/Tex,” he said. “Only a handful of us collect jerseys (PBA retro at that). Iba lang din yung appeal ng retro jerseys when I play them on the court.”

The collection hasn’t been cheap. When asked how much he has spent, he answered: “My mom and my fiancee would kill me, hahaha.”

Source: Interaksyon.com