Perasol ‘supportive’ of GDL decision to skip next UAAP season

UP Maroons stars Juan and Javi Gomez de Liaño surprised fans when they decided to skip the next UAAP men’s basketball season.

But UP head coach Bo Perasol isn’t exactly worried, noting that he knew all along and understands why the Gomez de Liaño brothers opted to focus full-time on their stints with Gilas Pilipinas and club teams. 

“Very clear yan ‘no… [I said] go ahead because ang laking exposure and I know for a fact na napakagandang exposure talaga sa kanila ng sinasalihan ng Mighty,” Perasol said on Tiebreaker Times’ vodcast Coaches Unfiltered. 

“Lahat naman yan pinagusapan namin. Sinabi ko kay Juan na we will always be cheering for him, gano’n din si Javi.”

(It was very clear. I said go ahead because it’s a huge exposure and I know for a fact that the tournaments Mighty Sports join serve as good exposure for them. We all discussed it. I told Juan that we will always cheer for him, as well as Javi.)

The Gomez de Liaño brothers were part of the Mighty Sports Philippines’ championship run in the Dubai International Basketball Championship in February 2020 where the squad became the first team outside the Middle East to win the coveted title.

After their Dubai stint, both brothers decided to take time off from the Fighting Maroons to focus on Gilas Pilipinas.

With no GDL bannering State U’s campaign in the next UAAP season, Perasol believes it was a strategic move to potentially have 4 Gomez de Liaño siblings play in one season. 

The eldest Joe has been training in UP’s Team B while the youngest Gomez de Liaño brother, Jordi, still has a year left in UPIS.

“Ang daming considerations ng magkakapatid na yan kasi marami sila, apat sila di ba? And there’s going to be a time na pwede silang magsabay, pwede silang magsabay na apat next year eh,” he said.

(Those siblings had many considerations because there are 4 of them. And there’s going to be a time that they can play together, the 4 of them can play together next year.)

With the departure of the GDLs and the graduation of some veterans, UP has been active in the off-season recruitment wars as the Maroons look to improve on their third-place finish last season.

The latest addition are Gilas Pilipinas Youth players and defending UAAP juniors champion Carl Tamayo and Gerry Abadiano from National University. (READ: Why departing NU stars Abadiano, Tamayo, Quiambao are top prospects)

“From the 16 lineup we have, 7 lang ang maiiwan. There are 7 of them that’s why mukhang marami kaming nirerecruit but we really lack 9 of them,” he explained. 

“Kaya when I was trying to determine kung may laban ba kami dun sa malalakas, sabi ko kulang eh, kulang pa talaga… [the recruits] sila yung nagpuno doon sa kulang namin.”

(From the 16-man lineup we had, only 7 were left. There are only 7 of them that’s why it looks like we recruit many players, but we really lack 9. That’s why when I was trying to determine if we have a fighting chance against strong teams, I thought it’s not enough… so the recruits will fill what we lack.)

Aside from the NU stars, UP has also acquired the services of Gilas Youth players RC Calimag and Anton Eusebio, Xavier standout Miguel Tan, Fil-Aussie center Ethan Kirkness and one-and-done Fil-Am Sam Dowd.

The Maroon roster, however, is still loaded with weapons in the likes of Kobe Paras, Ricci Rivero and Bright Akhuetie. – Jillian Velasco/Rappler.com