Since securing his letter of clearance (LOC) last Friday, Javi Gomez de Liaño has only played two games and a total of 18 minutes for Ibaraki.
The limited minutes can be attributed to the Robots’ lack of practices of their Gomez de Liaño, who only arrived in Japan last October 6; had to undergo a long quarantine; and had to clear some legalities before getting to train with the team.
“He was not able to play that much and it had nothing to do with him,” Ibaraki head coach Richard Glesmann told Kansai Sport’s Lionel Piguet. “He has not had enough practice time and we had a really busy schedule with the games in the Emperor’s Cup.
“Since he has been with us, he has not had enough practice time.”
Definitely, it has been a busy month for Ibaraki as it played in both the B.League and the Emperor’s Cup. And with Mondays off, Gomez de Liaño had little time to fully learn Glesmann’s system.
The 6-foot-5 winger made his debut last November 6 when the Robots faced the Evessa Osaka. Gomez de Liaño played 13 minutes in the game, scoring three points.
The next day he was a DNP. Then last Wednesday against Sun Rockers Shibuya, he only played five minutes for two points.
In their second game against Osaka and Shibuya, Ibaraki played close games. And it was the reason why Glesmann did not want to just plunge his prized ward into the deep waters.
(C) B.League
“I got to be honest that when I watched the film [Saturday’s game], it was kind of hard for him to be out there without knowing the full defensive and offensive schemes for us to try to win,” bared the American tactician.
“Once the game was close, it won’t be fair for him to throw him into the fire in those situations.”
Ibaraki is down to 2-10 after the first month of the eight-month league.
Once Gomez de Liaño learns his system, Glesmann can’t wait to unleash him.
“Going forward, I told him that I’m not planning to not play him.
“He’s a young rookie player with a lot of potential and talent. Our team is really excited to have him. Just excited going forward,” he said.
For now, Gomez de Liaño is staying patient in just absorbing everything he can learn.
“I’ve been mentally prepared when I signed with this team and I know what’s coming in my way. I’m ready for all the challenges. “
