JUAN Gomez de Liano was good as advertised in his first preseason appearance for Converge in defeating Meralco, 109-103, on Thursday as the two teams met as part of their preparations for the PBA's 50th season.
His four-point shot and layup, all inside the final two minutes of the tune-up held at the Hoops Center in Mandaluyong City, not only sealed the comeback victory, but also gave the FiberXers something to look forward to from their second overall pick in the recent Rookie Draft.
"I work on those shots every day in practice, and I'm just glad that the team, (Converge coach) Dennis 'Delta' Pineda and the coaching staff have a lot of trust in me," he said. "I'm just trying to deliver and produce and do my thing."
Gomez de Liano did not play last Saturday when Converge lost to Rain or Shine, it was the same day that he signed a three-year contract to finalize his entry into the FiberXers camp.
The game was also a chance for Gomez de Liano to get a feel of how he can fit into a squad that also has Justine Baltazar, Justin Arana, Schonny Winston and Alec Stockton, who all saw action for Converge.
Sponsored content:
In fact, the five were all on the floor during the latter stages of the match that saw the FiberXers prevail despite trailing by 12 after three quarters.
"I feel like me, Schonny, Alec, Balti and Justin played well together, we had a good connection and we were just trying to make the right plays and pretty much just make the right plays," he said.
Meralco, playing without Chris Newsome, Brandon Bates and Bong Quinto, lost despite the big lead produced by Chris Banchero, Raymond Almazan, Aaron Black and CJ Cansino.(JT)
