Juan GDL is European League bound after signing with BC Wolves in the Lietuvos Krepsinio Lyga for the 2022-23 season.
Gilas Pilipinas and former University of the Philippines guard Juan Gomez de Liaño became the first homegrown Filipino male player to sign in a European league after signing with BC Wolves, the Lithuanian team announced on Thursday, October 20.
BC Wolves is a professional basketball club based in the city of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania and is included in the Lithuanian league Lietuvos Krepsinio Lyga that tapped Juan GDL for a one year contract.
"We aim to grow our fan community abroad, and we hope Juan will help us achieve that," BC Wolves Basketball Operations chief Algimantas Bruzas said in a statement.
"Filipinos love basketball, the same as we do here in Lithuania," he added. "Juan is a young, ambitious, and very talented player. He is motivated to learn and improve. We hope to be a good place for him to grow as a player, and he will use this chance."
The news was announced on Thursday after Juan signed his contract on Wednesday with Marvin Espiritu of Espiritu-Manotoc Basketball Management helping facilitate the deal.
Paving the way for Filipinos in top-tier European Leagues is none other than Jack Animam, former National University Lady Bulldog and Gilas Pilipinas mainstay, who signed with First Women’s Basketball League of Serbia’s ŽKK Radnički Kragujevac last year.
Juan GDL will be joining a squad holding a 4-1 record in the league and will be playing alongside Argentinian national team standout Marcos Delia, under the tutelage of tactician Rimas Kurtinaitis, a two-time LKL champion and three-time EuroCup winner as a head coach.
The combo guard flaunts an impressive resume after his superb showing in the 2022 PBA D-League Aspirant’s Cup, eventually named the Most Valuable Player, averaging 18.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.4 steals per game with Marinerong Pilipino.
GDL also saw international play in Japan, playing for B.League Division II team Tokyo Z, and for the national team, Gilas Pilipinas, in the February window of the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifiers.
Tags: #basketball, #international, #European