By Adrian Stewart Co

Juan Gómez de Liaño is set to take his talents to the Land of the Rising Sun after agreeing to play for the Earth Friends Tokyo Z in Japan B.League’s 2nd Division.

The Tokyo, Japan-based basketball squad announced the signing of the former University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons gunner via its website yesterday morning.

The 21-year-old De Liaño will serve as Earth Friends Tokyo Z’s Asian quota player, just like fellow Filipino cager Ferdinand “Thirdy” Ravena III of San-En NeoPhoenix.

Gómez de Liaño, a former Gilas Pilipinas player, said that getting an opportunity to play for the Earth Friends Tokyo was a dream come true for him especially with the UAAP stalled by the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

“It’s hard to pass up these kinds of opportunities especially during a hard time like what we are experiencing right now,” De Liaño said in an interview with Tiebreaker Times.

“It’s always been a dream of mine to play overseas and I’m glad to have this chance. This is a good way to start my pro career, especially being in Tokyo,” he added.

De Liaño further said that another factor for his decision to play in Japan is his familiarity with Earth Friends Tokyo Z head coach Hugo Lopez as they were in constant communication for months now.

“A big factor in this decision was the relationship I have developed with Coach Hugo. He had a lot of trust in me and he said that I’m going to fit well in his system,” De Liaño said.

“I’m not just representing myself or my family when I get to Tokyo, I’ll continue to give glory to our country to the best of my abilities,” the 6-foot-1 gunner further said.

The Earth Friends Tokyo Z underwent massive roster overhaul and also coaching change during the offseason following their 13-46 campaign in the 2020-2021 B. League Division 2 Season./ASC, WDJ