By NIKOLE JAVIER
Matthew Wright of Kyoto Hannaryz produced a milestone in his young and flourishing career in the Japan B.League by becoming the fastest and fifth Filipino import to reach the 1000-point club.
On the league’s opening weekend of 2024, the sophomore import who once played for Gilas Pilipinas became the latest Filipino to hit at least 1,000 points just right after his first basket in the team’s 99-83 defeat at the hands of the Chiba Jets.
Wright, who finished with 17 points, did the feat in just 80 games, two games faster than when Kiefer Ravena of Shiga Lakes.
Apart from Kiefer Ravena, other members of the exclusive club are Thirdy Ravena, Dwight Ramos and Ray Parks Jr.
Kiefer, whose Lakes have been demoted to the league’s second tier after his second season, left his B1 scoring record at 1,252.
Though Shiga is poised for a promotion as it currently leads the West standings with a commendable 23-7 tally – thanks largely to Kiefer who is averaging 11.9 points and 5.9 assists a game.
Meanwhile, Parks Jr. achieved 1,000 individual points in the Nagoya Dolphins’ 92-79 loss against Thirdy’s second-seeded San-En NeoPhoenix on Saturday, Jan. 6.
The 30-year-old guard has averaged 6.8 points and 3.1 rebounds per contest in the ongoing season.
Likewise, Ramos ended the past year reaching the same milestone after a lengthy injury layoff for the most part of the season.
Thirdy, who opened the doors for other Filipino players when he took the career leap to Japan in 2020, was the also the first Pinoy to record 1,000 points in B.League.
