For Zavier Lucero, having LA Tenorio by his side has made his first Gilas Pilipinas stint a little easier to navigate.
Lucero will finally get a taste of international basketball as he joins the national team for its title-retention bid at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. Luckily for him, he has a familiar figure in Tenorio to help him adjust to his new environment.
Tenorio is also part of the Gilas coaching staff as an assistant, giving the forward someone he can lean on as he settles into his first national team experience.
“Yeah, it definitely makes it a more comfortable experience,” Lucero said of having the Magnolia chief tactician around.
“This is my first time playing internationally as well,” he added, making Tenorio’s presence all the more valuable as he gets accustomed to the demands of playing for the national team.
(C) PBA Images
The 6-foot-6 athletic wing, however, is not short on friendly faces, with the Gilas roster featuring several players he regularly encounters in the PBA.
“But I mean, there’s a lot of familiar faces. You know, it’s all PBA,” he said.
“So everyone being here, we all see each other very often, you know, year-round.”
With that familiarity helping him settle in, Lucero can now turn his attention to making the most of his first opportunity to represent the Philippines on the international stage.
“I’m just honored and blessed and excited at the opportunity,” he said.
“Just trying to do the best I can to help this team achieve something bigger than ourselves. So, yeah. I’m just thankful for the opportunity for sure.”
