JOHN Amores begins the year 2023 rebooting his career after being included in the 14-man lineup of the Zamboanga Valientes seeing action in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) Invitational that kicks off on January 2 in Singapore.
John Amores in Valientes squad
Amores, the former Jose Rizal University shooting guard who became involved in an infamous punching outrage in the just concluded NCAA Season 98, will be joining a Valientes team backstopped by NCAA star James Kwekuteye, former Gilas player Kemark Carino, veteran journeyman JR Cawaling, and imports Antonio Hester, Will Deng, and Ryan Smith.
The team leaves for Singapore on New Year’s Day.
Zamboanga won’t see action on opening day and will jumpstart its campaign on Jan. 3 against Louvre Indonesia.
It next faces the Saigon Heat on the 6th, Matrix Malaysia the following day, and home team Singapore Slingers on the 8th.
Valientes’ homegrown players Rudy Lingganay, Jeff Bernardo, Das Esa, Gino Jumaoas, Jojo Belorio and 5-foot-4 guard Denver Cadiz of Zamboanga City complete the roster.
“Amores will be part of our team in the ABL Singapore leg. This is a chance for redemption, and we are hoping Amores will give his best,” Zamboanga Valientes team owner Junnie Navarro said. “At the same time, this is a good opportunity for every Zamboanga player to excel.”
The Valientes will be the first city to represent the country in the ABL.
Zamboanga Valientes, a team founded in 2006, will now be playing in its first major tournament outside of the Philippines.
The franchise first competed in the NBC Preseason, MVBA Christmas Cup, and later on in Liga Pilipinas back in 2008.
The late Lando Navarro, founder of the Valientes, envisioned the team as the perfect avenue for Zamboangueños to showcase their talent.
In the past, the Valientes already won the NBA Philippines 3x3 (2011), NBL Christmas HUSTLE in Canberra Australia, and Champions League Basketball 3x3 Australia.
The team is owned by Cory and Junnie Navarro along with MLV Accounting Mike Venezuela.
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