Javi Gomez de Liaño hopes that his B.League experience will help now that he begins his PBA journey with powerhouse Ginebra.
The 23-year-old disclosed that he played more like a two-guard during his stint with Ibaraki. And that’s exactly what he plans to do while he aims to crack the star-studded lineup that ruled over the Governors’ Cup just last month.
(C) B.League
“My one year in B.League, nag-transition ako sa two-guard e. I was playing shooting guard there,” recalled Gomez de Liano, who usually played the three and four spots during his time with University of the Philippines.
“May konting adjustments pa in my game, but that’s part of it because I was playing three and four during my high school days. Hindi na tayo tumangkad so kailangan natin mag-adjust sa guard. I’ll do my best to be a natural guard.”
The 6-foot-2 cager was the eighth overall pick by the crowd darlings in Sunday’s draft proceedings, which for him was a culmination of a dream.
“It’s a dream come true for me. I’ve been thinking about it the past nights, I’ve been manifesting actually na, like… I really feel na I’ll be picked by Ginebra. And nagkatotoo,” he said.
“So I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
It isn’t lost on him, though, that he’s coming into a team with so much firepower, so making a mark on defense is on top of his list.
“I’mma just do whatever they want for me to do being the rookie, doing the little things… And especially they got a lot of offensive fire, so I’mma try to do my best to help out on the defensive end,” he offered.
It was truly an evening to remember for Gomez de Liaño.
Serving as the cherry on top was his inclusion in the Gilas Pilipinas pool of coach Chot Reyes, together with Gian Mamuyac, Justin Arana, and Shaun Ildefonso.
Photo by PBA Images
“I’ll be ready for that.”
