DWIGHT Ramos will be the latest Filipino to head to Japan as he joins the Toyama Grouses.
Dwight Ramos in Japan B.League
The team announced the news on Friday, making the Fil-Am star the eighth player to move to the Land of the Rising Sun for the 2021-22 B.League season.
"I am very excited to play in the city of Toyama, it is a dream to play in such a beautiful city and country in Japan," he said in a statement. "I hope to win a lot of games and bring pride to the city of Toyama together with my new teammates. I hope to see the fans at our games cheering for us all season."
Ramos, 23, initially committed to Ateneo but had his breakout for Gilas Pilipinas as he emerged as a star in his stint for the national team in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers.
The 6-foot-4 guard posted 13.8 points on 46-percent shooting from deep, to go with 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 25.3 minutes to lead the Philippines to a clean 6-0 sweep of Group A and clinch a spot in the continental showpiece.
Ramos, signed under the Asian Players Quota, now will join a Toyama squad which finished fifth last season after amassing a 39-21 win-loss record.
[How to watch Japan B.League games online?]
The Grouses made it to the playoffs, but lost to the four-seed Ryukyu Golden Kings in the quarterfinals.
"The team made the playoffs last season, so I hope to contribute to a championship run this season. Basketball in Japan is growing every year and I'm very excited and grateful for the opportunity to play in such an amazing place," he said.
Ramos becomes the eighth Filipino player to fly to Japan after Thirdy Ravena (San-En NeoPhoenix), Kiefer Ravena (Shiga Lakestars), Bobby Ray Parks (Nagoya Diamond Dolphins), Kobe Paras (Niigata Albirex BB), and Javi Gomez de Liano (Ibaraki Robots) in the first division, as well as Juan Gomez de Liano (Earthfriends Tokyo Z) and Kemark Carino (Aomori Wat's) in the second division.