Expectations were high when Dwight Ramos finally made his debut for Toyama, Saturday afternoon.
After all, can the Grouses get any worse than what they displayed in their first four games in the 2021-22 B.League season?
Sans their 71-72 loss on opening day against Shinshu, Toyama had suffered rout after rout, losing their next three games by an average margin of 24.0 points. In their second game against the Brave Warriors, the Grouses just put up 41 points in the 40-minute game.
But Saturday afternoon against Ray Parks and Nagoya, it was the same old story for Toyama — even with Dwight Ramos.
Again, the Grouses struggled from the field, shooting just 39.7-percent.
For his part, Ramos went just 3-of-14 from the field for six points to go along with seven rebounds and three assists.
(C) B.League
But for the 23-year-old product of Ateneo, he stressed that this was just his first game with the Grouses and that he only has three practices under his belt. Moreover, the season is still a long one.
“Obviously, we have a new team and I just joined the team. We are not really flowing yet,” he said.
To be fair, it’s not just Ramos who could not buy a bucket in the game that saw Toyama fall to Nagoya, 68-94.
After coming off a 28-point game against Tokyo last weekend, Julian Mavunga only had eight points while committing six turnovers. Joshua Smith was limited to just eight points on three shot attempts after averaging 14.5 points a week ago. Same with Keijuro Matsui, who only had three points after putting up an average of 11.5 points against Alvark.
“We’ll keep on practicing and keep working hard. Improvements will come soon,” continued Ramos as the Grouses dropped to 0-5.
Despite the stinging feeling of defeat, Ramos is just glad to be on the court and playing in front of a crowd.
“It felt good to be out there with my teammates. “
