‘Slimmer’ Jose feels great in return to hoops action

Raymar Jose. PBA IMAGES

Raymar Jose felt good hitting the hardcourt once again as he made his debut for Cignal HD in the 2017 PBA D-League Foundation Cup.

“It was great. I felt great to play once again,” he said.

Inactive since suiting up in his final game with Kaohsiung Truth in the ASEAN Basketball League back in March, Jose came out with a leaner body in his first game in a Hawkeyes jersey.

“I really slimmed down when I was in Taiwan because we were dieting there,” he said with a chuckle, while saying that he’s still far from his desired game shape. “I’ll try to bring back my old size.”

Jose also didn’t look like he missed a beat, displaying his signature grit as he racked 19 points and 14 rebounds in his 28 minutes on the floor.

Unfortunately, the game ended in a sorry 86-84 defeat to Flying V after Jeron Teng drained the game-winning play.

“It was unfortunate. We played good but we fell a little short. I think we’ll be able to bounce back,” he said.

Jose and the rest of Cignal will try to bounce back on Thursday against Tanduay.