MANILA, Philippines— Brothers Juan and Javi Gomez de Liano are beefing up Nueva Ecija’s line up ahead of the new Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League season.
Intent in forming a title contender, the Rice Vanguards also tapped the services of former PBA players Renz Palma, who is a native of Nueva Ecija.
The addition of Juan bolsters Nueva Ecija’s front court, which already has veteran guard Jai Reyes, who is wearing many hats for the team including chief of basketball operations.
“It’s no secret how much I like his game. I think he has the potential to be dominant in this league and maybe one of the faces of the MPBL,” said Nueva Ecija head coach Charles Tiu of Juan.
“People forget to realize he’s only twenty years old and once he starts maturing even more and becomes more of a leader, his game will really be elevated to another level.”
Tiu has seen first hand how the Gomez De Liano brothers operate, having coached them in the Mighty Sports’ title run in the 2020 Dubai International Championship earlier this year.
Tiu said he is also looking to unleash the true potential of Javi, who he expects will play a huge role in the Rice Vanguards’ campaign next season.
“We plan to give him more opportunities as a wing and a guard, to further help him in his development in his career,” Tiu said.
Trully grateful for the opportunity to play for Nueva Ecija! Can't wait to meet the whole community and fans ❤️ thanks to coach @charlestiu, Boss Bong and the management for the trust 🌾 pic.twitter.com/1JpYwHIWRo
— Javi Gomez de Liaño (@javigdl22) March 3, 2020
The two players had begged off from playing for University of the Philippines this season.
Meanwhile, Nueva Ecija is also getting a “solid” wing player in the 6-foot-1 guard Palma, who was the 15th pick in the 2017 PBA Draft.
Aside from an improved roster, the Rice Vanguards are also getting a new home court next season according to Palayan City mayor Rianne Cuevas.
“Its about time that Nueva Ecija has its own arena to host tournaments like the MPBL and at the same time showcase the beauty of our province to cities and provinces who will play in our sports arena,” she said in a statement.