Charles Tiu to support Will Gozum’s decision even if he leaves Benilde
College of St. Benilde Blazers’ Will Gozum. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
MANILA, Philippines—College of St. Benilde coach Charles Tiu will be fully supportive of Will Gozum’s decision for next NCAA season—whatever it may be.
Tiu said he won’t stop Gozum from pursuing a better career path despite the big man still having a year left of eligibility.
“With Will, I don’t know, we’ll have to decide what’s best for him. Obviously, I feel that if he has a great opportunity to play somewhere else then I’d be the first one to encourage him to go,” Tiu said.
“But I think, as we all saw, there’s still a lot of room for improvement in his game. Whatever his decision will be, I will support it. I’m ready to go with or without Will,” he added.
Gozum struggled in the final game of the season with only 10 points and two rebounds as the Blazers lost to the Letran Knights in the deciding Game 3 of the Season 98 finals.
Still, Gozum had a stellar year which he highlighted with an MVP award and a trip to the finals—a first in 20 years for St. Benilde.
Gozum also averaged 19.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in Games 1 and 2 of the championship series.
For the season, Gozum averaged 16.9 points on 53.8 shooting from the field and 9.8 boards per game.
“Our goal here is to help give guys the best opportunity for their careers and future. If they feel that’s the best for them, we’ll support it. Next season is still a long way away, I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Tiu said.
Tiu is also not discounting the possibility of Gozum heading overseas which has been a trend for Filipino basketball players over the last couple of years.
