Ever since he was a freshman at University of the Philippines, Juan Gomez de Liano always had big dreams.
He dreamt of leading UP to its first UAAP title in decades. He wished to be a mainstay in Gilas Pilipinas. He hoped to have a long career overseas.
Of course, not all dreams are meant to be achieved. But he tried his hardest to do so.
And on Wednesday evening, he fulfilled his main goal — to get a chance to play in Europe.
Juan, the middle child of the Gomez de Liano brothers, signed a one-year deal to play for BC Wolves — one of the team’s in Lithuania’s premier league Lietuvos Krepsinio Lyga.
“I’m really excited. It’s always been my dream to play in Europe, especially me having a Spanish passport. Now that I was given the chance, I’ll make the most out of it, really just learn and gain a lot of knowledge from Coach Rimas Kurtinaitis and Sir Rimantas Kaukėnas [BC Wolves president]. They both used to play very well. They are also well-known and highly respected in Europe,” Also just being surrounded by a lot of veterans in the team, guys who have a lot of experience playing at a high level,” expressed a grateful Gomez de Liano.
“They believed in me and gave me a chance. I’m just thankful and will not take this opportunity for granted.”
But Gomez de Liaño was almost ready to give up on his dream.
“I’ve been working hard and just remained patient all throughout the off-season. But I stayed ready and was hopeful that something great was coming up.
Tough Times in Tokyo
(C) B.League
Back on June 23, Juan was part of the second batch of Filipinos signed by the B.League, along with peers Javi, Kobe Paras, Kemark Carino, and Dwight Ramos.
His stay with B.League Division II team Tokyo Z though was not what he expected it to be.
Just eight months after signing with Earthfriends, he asked for his release and it was granted.
Was this really what the overseas life is, wondered Juan.
“It was hard but that’s the life of a hooper. It’s a waiting game especially if you’re a free agent, you wouldn’t know what would be next for your career and I’m glad I just stayed the course and kept the faith,” he admitted to Tiebreaker Times.
“A lot times I was doubting myself… that maybe my overseas dreams was just that, a dream.”
Still, Juan tried his hardest to keep his fire alive.
Rebuilding in Manila
(C) PBA Images
Immediately after getting his release, the 6-foot combo guard went back home to Manila to play for Gilas.
Under new national team head coach Chot Reyes though, Gomez de Liano only played a total of 14 minutes during the first window of the World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
What came next though was multiple stops.
He played for Indonesian team CLS in the ASEAN Basketball League, became a guest player for VisMin Super Cup house team Zamboanga, and, later on, sign with D-League club Marinerong Pilipino.
As time passed by, the next batch of his peers was getting signed by overseas clubs. The likes of SJ Belangel, RJ Abarrientos, Rhenz Abando, and Justin Gutang were headed to Korea while Justine Baltazar joined his friends in Japan.
As those signing were happening, Juan was busy rebuilding himself in the PBA’s second league.
And Juan showed that he still got it, averaging 18.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game to win tournament MVP honors.
That MVP crown ended up being his ticket to fly.
“I had a few interest from different club teams after I was awarded the MVP but BC Wolves really showed the most interest and it was really the best opportunity for me to grow.”
Staying in Alytus
On Saturday, Gomez de Liano will once again hop on a plane. This time around, it’s a one-way ticket to the busy town of Alytus — a city that has a population of 53,925.
This time around, the 22-year-old is wiser, more mature, and better equipped.
And he now knows that getting signed is just half of the battle.
“Now that I’m in there, I plan to stay in Europe and BC Wolves for a long time. That’s my goal, I want to build a career in Europe, build good relationships, really make a living out there,” he said.
“Hopefully, this won’t be just a year thing. I trust the work that I put in and sana tuloy-tuloy na ito. To have a long career there is something that I will strive for.”
Lithuania though won’t be a walk in the park.
Definitely, the competition will be tougher compared to the Philippines, Japan, or Korea. And Juan knows that.
“Lithuania is I believe top eight in the world. It’s like us in the Philippines, basketball is a religion there and it’s their number one sport. I’m up to the challenge knowing I’ll be playing against bigger and taller guys who are very smart and have high IQ for the game. The competition there is also on a different level. I’m just looking forward to it and can’t wait to get going with the squad,” he continued.
“I’m definitely excited to be part of an amazing team and organization.”
And he hopes that he inspires the next generation to not just give up on their dreams even if the going gets the toughest.
“They say it’s history but for me I just want to inspire and pave the way for the upcoming hoopers that want to play professionally especially overseas. I believe Filipinos have the heart and talent to do so, they just need the right exposure and opportunity.
