B.League: Healthy-again AJ Edu looks to repay Nagasaki’s trust

Filipino center AJ Edu during his stint with Toyama Grouses in the Japan B.League. He will now suit up for Nagasaki Velca. –B.LEAGUE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — A fit-again AJ Edu is determined to complete his unfinished business in his second B.League season as he starts fresh with the Nagasaki Velca.

The 6-foot-10 big man’s first season in Japan only lasted for 14 games with the Toyama Grouses after suffering a torn meniscus.

Edu said he’s now healthy and ready to bounce back stronger with Nagasaki Velca, which signed him last July, hoping to turn things around after a 27-33 finish last year.

READ: AJ Edu emerges as Gilas Pilipinas’ most solid big man

“Honestly, the biggest emphasis was strength and conditioning. I’ve had a history of a couple of knee injuries now so the biggest factor in that is just having strong enough legs to carry the power down. That was a big emphasis this summer just strength and conditioning,” said Edu during their online media availability on Thursday evening.

The Gilas Pilipinas center, who played in the last Fiba World Cup, is elated to be part of Nagasaki and he’s eager to repay the trust given to him despite the limited action last year.

“Looking forward to my second year now in B.League. Looking forward to what our team can accomplish. I think we have an exciting group of players, new stadium, new facilities, so just really looking forward to what we can achieve,” he said.

READ: AJ Edu aims to bring versatility on defense for Toyama in Japan B.League

The Filipino-Cypriot center, who averaged 13.1 points and 8.9 rebounds in his first season, is still grateful to be part of the B.League for the second straight season, expressing his gratitude to Toyama, which has given him an opportunity.

The Grouses are now in the Division 2.

“I thought the quality of the league was good. Definitely, challenging in terms of those back-to-back games. That was very different for me and different for my body to adjust to but in general, you know I really enjoyed the level of play and the style of play,” Edu said.

“I was thankful to Toyama. I had a lot of freedom to really play with confidence, so it was a good year for me despite the injury last season.”