By James Emmanuel R. Santua
Javi Gomez de Liano followed in his brother’s footsteps, Juan Gomez De Liano, as he joined Ibaraki Robots in the Japan B.League Division II.
The Ibaraki Robots reached an agreement with De Liano to play for the 2021-2022 season and welcomed him through an Instagram post.
“We are pleased to inform you that Ibaraki Robots has reached an agreement with Javier Gomez de Riano for the B.LEAGUE 2021-22 season. The contract period will be from July 1, 2021 as a special Asian quota,” the team said in the post.
De Liano recently suited up for the Gilas Pilipinas in the first round of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers and averaged 10.3 points and three rebounds against Thailand and Indonesia.
“He is good at 3-point shooting and driving and is a multi-player who can handle from SG to PF,” the team added.
Javi joined the growing list of Filipino players, who have signed in the Japanese league. Others were his brother Juan, who signed with Earthfriends Tokyo Z, Kiefer Ravena, who hooked up with Shiga Lakestars, and Thirdy Ravena, who plays for the San-en Neophoenix.
The Robots finished second out of 16 teams in the B2 League with a 41-16 record in the 2020-2021 season, winning almost 72% of their games.