Converge FiberXers teammates Juan Gomez De Liaño and Justine Baltazar will be playing alongside each other once more, this time for Gilas Pilipinas. And that’s certainly something JGDL is looking forward to.
“I’m super excited to be able to play alongside with Balti in the national team,” Gomez De Liaño told reporters after Gilas Pilipinas’ open practice on Monday. “And I’m very familiar with how Balti plays, and we complement each other a lot. I know his spots, I know where he likes to get his shots.”
This familiarity should bode well for the national team, which will need to find some offensive rhythm in their two games in the third window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers. That’s because Gilas Pilipinas will be facing off against powerhouse teams Australia and New Zealand, who are known for their tough, physical defense.
Lessons From Gilas Back to Converge
For now, Gomez De Liaño’s and Baltazar’s sole focus is to help Gilas Pilipinas in the upcoming window. Bigger picture, JGDL is confident that their Gilas Pilipinas stint will also translate into success when they come back to Converge.
“I feel like the experience we’re gonna gain from this, in this trip, definitely madadala namin ‘to sa upcoming conference, madadala namin lahat ng experience dito [pagbalik] sa Converge,” JGDL shared.
The FiberXers are coming off a nightmare PBA Commissioner’s Cup, where they finished ninth and missed out on the quarterfinals. That’s after nailing a twice‑to‑beat edge in the Season 50‑opening Philippine Cup, where Converge ultimately lost back‑to‑back games against, ironically, Tim Cone and his Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.
Gomez De Liaño Might Be Up for Bigger Role
It remains to be seen how Cone will be using JGDL and Baltazar. Between the two, however, Gomez De Liaño might be up for a bigger role as one of the national team’s lead guards, alongside RJ Abarrientos, as he replaced usual starter Scottie Thompson.
The first‑year PBA sensation already proved he can handle a big role when he was called up in the second window. He will need to be prepared for a bigger one this time.
Helping him for sure will be his fellow FiberXer, Balti.
