A CHANGED MAN, John Amores will be part of the 14-man lineup of the Zamboanga Valientes in the ASEAN Basketball League Invitational 2023 Season 11 starting January 2 in Singapore.
He will be joining NCAA star James Kwekwetei, former Gilas players Kemark Carino and JR Cawaling and imports Antonio Hester, Will Deng and Ryan Smith.
Valientes’ homegrown players Rudy Lingganay, Jeff Bernardo, Das Esa, Gino Jumaoas, Jojo Belorio and exciting Zamboanga City point guard Denver Cadiz, who at 5’4” is the smallest Filipino to play in the ABL.
“Amores will be part of our team in the ABL in Singapore leg. This is a chance for redemption and we are hoping Amores will give it his best,” Zamboanga Valientes’ team owner Junnie Navarro said.
“At the same time, this is a good opportunity for every Zamboanga player to excel,” he added.
Amores, as a Jose Rizal University player, hogged the sports headlines in November in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, where he was banned for punching players from the St. Benilde Blazers in a fit of rage during a game. He was subsequently banned by the league and his team, but has made peace with the Blazers and apologized to all concerned, before being taken in by the Valientes, who gave him a second chance at basketball.
The Zamboanga Valientes will make history as the first ever city to represent the Philippines in the ABL.
The Valientes, a team founded in 2006, will now be playing outside the Philippines. They started in the NBC Preseason, MVBA Christmas Cup and Liga Pilipinas in 2008.
The founder of the Zamboanga Valientes, Lando Navarro, promises to give Zamboanguenos an avenue to showcase their talent.
The Valientes already won the NBA Philippines 3×3 in 2011, NBL Christmas HUSTLE in Canberra, Australia and Champions League Basketball 3×3 Australia.
The Zamboanga Valientes, owned by Cory and Junnie Navarro, along with MLV Accounting’s Mike Venezuela, will face the Louvre Indonesia team on January 3, the Saigon Heat on January 6, Matrix Malaysia on January 7 and home team Singapore Slingers on January 8.