Ever since stepping onto the seniors’ court back in 2018, there was always something special about L-Jay Gonzales. Now back in action after an extended off-season, he is making up for lost time with Far Eastern University in the UAAP Season 84 Men’s Basketball Tournament.
Still in recovery mode from an ankle injury, the 5’10″ guard led FEU in its 65-75 loss to host school De La Salle University. He had 17 points, four rebounds, three assists, and four steals in 23:54 minutes of action in what was his best performance yet this season.
“Okay naman ako,” said Gonzales. “Nakapag-adjust na galing sa injury, nakapag-adjust naman ako. Every time na sinasabi nila coach sa akin, tinatanong nila ako lagi kung okay na ba ako, kinakamusta yung paa ko. Sabi ko naman sa kanila na okay na ako, ready naman ako. Handa na ako maglaro.
“Kanina yung pagbagsak lang sa floor galing sa rebound, sakit ng paligiran ko. Siguro mali lang yung pagkabagsak. May iniinda nanaman kaunti dito. Kaya naman. Siguro next time, bounce back na lang kami.”
As a homegrown Tamaraw, Gonzales has played more or less 100 matches with those around him such as RJ Abarrientos, Xyrus Torres, and Brandrey Bienes. This familiarity has helped FEU become such a cohesive unit on the floor.
While it is not right to impose pressure on their young shoulders, it is on him and Abarrientos who have the keys to ensuring that the Tamaraws execute well on both ends of the floor. The expectations may be high, but that is part of the game.
“Para sa akin naman, lagi akong sinasabihan ng mga teammate ko, mga coach ko – labas ko lang daw yung laro ko. Kung ano ako last year, dodoblehin ko pa this season. Lagi akong chi-ni-cheer ng mga teammate ko,” said the FEU-Diliman product.
“Yung koneksyon namin ni RJ (Abarrientos), ok naman. Lagi naman kaming nagsasama, lagi naman kaming nag-uusap kung ano yung gagawin game. Sa bench, lagi kaming nag-uusap kung ano ang dapat naming gawin sa team.”
For his part, coach Olsen Racela was pleased with what he saw from Gonzales today. Knowing that his ward is coming from injury, the current Ginebra San Miguel assistant is careful with how he manages his young star.
As a former point guard himself with San Miguel, Racela notes that Gonzales still has a lot to improve on. Thankfully, time is on the kid’s side.
“Hindi pa 100 percent si LJay eh. Galing siya sa injury and madami pa rin siyang kailangan i-improve. Scoring-wise, he did well but he has to improve on his distribution, orchestrating plays for his team,” said Racela.
“Nag-uusap naman kami kung ano pang kulang niya. Obviously, this is his best game so far this year. Sana, dahan-dahan, as he regains his 100 percent health niya, tuloy-tuloy na rin.”
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