By ADRIAN STEWART CO
Negrense forward Karl Nonoy will be donning the same green jersey as his elder brother, Mark Nonoy, for college after he decided to commit to the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers.
The Negros Occidental’s La Carlota City-native forward is set to formalize his commitment with the Green Archers in a meeting with DLSU team booster Manases Carpio this afternoon.
Karl, a standout for Hua Siong College of Iloilo Red Phoenix, said it is a dream come true for him to be recruited by the Green Archers as he aspires to play in Manila just like his elder brother.
“I am very thankful because I am given an opportunity to play in a prestigious school like De La Salle University. It is a dream come true for me to play here in Manila,” Karl told Watchmen Daily Journal yesterday afternoon.
“I know there’s still a lot of work to do for me and I will do my best to improve my game further,” he said.
“I also want to make a name for myself and I want to prove that I can also be an excellent player here in Manila, just like Kuya Mark,” he added.
For his part, Red Phoenix head coach Vincent Conlu said that he is very proud that Karl also got an opportunity to showcase his talents in Manila and in DLSU like his elder brother Mark, who is also his former player at Hua Siong.
“As a coach, I am very proud of Karl because ‘yun lang naman ang goal ko sa mga players ko, na they can fulfill their dreams to play in Manila. Worth it ‘yung pagod sa training,” Conlu said.
“And siyempre ang maganda pa diyan is La Salle din ang kumuha kay Karl. So I am happy with his success,” he said.
“My only wish for him is to stay humble para maabot niya ‘yung goal niya na maging professional player in the future,” he added.
As he starts his career in Manila, Karl will play for two more years with La Salle Greenhills Greenies in NCAA juniors basketball before he transitions as a member of the Green Archers.
“As the new player there, I promise to be a coachable and obedient player. Also, I will do my very best to help the team achieve their goal, which is to win a championship,” Karl said.
“I will also apply ‘yung mga natutunan ko sa Hua Siong, like being [a] disciplined, hardworking, determined, persistent, and obedient player, and also follow the process kung ano ang ipapagawa sa akin ng coaches,” he added.
Nonoy is the fifth player of Conlu to be recruited in Manila following the recent commitment of Negrense Thomas Pillado, Aklanon Ricky Murillo and Ilonggos Matt Laurence Acosta and Roy Malaga to the Nazareth School of National University Bullpups./ASC, WDJ