by Rey C. Lachica
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – His first name is too common, but make no mistake about it, Juan Gomez de Liano is a very special kind of a player.
He’s not only exciting and smart on offense, but he’s also as tough as a nail on the defensive end.
And he’s only 19 years old.
Though he turned the ball eight times, mostly on weak passes, the youngest of the two playing brothers of University of the Philippines earned a ton of accolades in Mighty Sports’ 108-94 win over Oil Sports Club in the 30th Dubai International Basketball Championship at the Shabab Al Ahli Club here.
Mighty Sports coach Charles Tiu was happy but not surprised with his 21-point show.
“I’m happy with the way he played, I think this was Juan’s best game offensively,” said Tiu of his popular guard who also posted three steals, two assists and a rebound in 25 minutes of action.
Though he stands only at 6-foot-1, de Liano, named after St. John the Apostle, was able to hold his ground against taller and rugged defenders of the tournament.
Tiu’s only advice for him is to grow up a bit more since he’s such a wonderful player offensive-wise.
“Yung scoring nya given na yun eh, I have no doubt he would be able to score in this tournament, but it’s just that his maturity so he can able to lead this group as a guard, so that’s one thing that he has to learn every game,” said Tiu. “But I think this is a learning experience for him.”
Perhaps in a gesture of approval, a smiling UP coach Bo Perasol gave de Liano a tight, fatherly hug.
“Nice game Juan,” the bearded UP coach said later to his player as young Filipino fans gleefully waved their placards bearing the name of de Liano.
He’s not promising anything but de Liano hopes to do well when Mighty Sports battles a mighty Lebanese club Al Riyadi in the semis Friday night.
Certainly, this will again test de Liano’s resolve.
