BRANDON Ramirez brought his wife, family, and friends on Friday for NLEX’s game against Meralco at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, and despite the Road Warriors’ defeat, they all came home with smiles on their faces.
That’s because Ramirez had an excellent PBA debut with 12 points on efficient 4-for-7 shooting from the field, including two from threes, albeit in a 105-91 loss to the Bolts.
READ: Meralco unleashes big finishing kick to take fight out of NLEX
Of course, the 6-foot-5 Ramirez would have preferred a win in his first game with NLEX since signing at the close of his MPBL contract with back-to-back champion Pampanga.
“It was good. I wish we won, obviously. The number one priority is to win the game. But, yeah, we lost. But we have lots to build on for sure,” said Ramirez, the Road Warriors' second-rounder and 18th overall pick in the Season 49 draft.
Aside from being part of the Giant Lanterns squad that included No. 1 selection Justine Baltazar and now-Meralco player Kurt Reyson, Ramirez is the latest player to join the PBA ranks after suiting up in the now-defunct PBA 3x3.
And while he's already had a taste of the PBA, the onetime York University standout was nonetheless battling nerves going into his first five-on-five game in the league.
“I'm really nervous. It’s my first PBA game ever. All my family is here. They came here to support. I was also nervous. I just had to come in and try and do my best and I gave my best out there, but we fell short in the end, so hopefully we can build on this,” he said.
Brandon's MPBL to PBA transition
Ramirez said his stint with Pampanga helped in his current foray with NLEX since he plays the same role.
“It gave me lots of confidence,” Ramirez said. “Even since when I was in Pampanga, I was always ready coming off the bench.”
Ramirez is referring to being the second-stringer to Baltazar, who is also in the PBA now with Converge.
“So that’s kind of my mindset: to be ready as soon as the coach calls you to come play,” said Ramirez, who played for 13 minutes.
Ramirez is expected to light it up from the outside, while also being a force inside on the defensive end, as he looks forward to facing the top bigs in the PBA.
“I tried my best to play inside and out. And obviously, we have Mike [Watkins] our import, very dominant big. So I have to be able to space the floor. Hopefully, moving forward, I can still produce those same shots and just try to be consistent,” said Ramirez.
On facing the likes of June Mar Fajardo, whom he will not have a chance of facing this conference unless they face each other in the playoffs, Ramirez said: “I don’t think we’re playing San Miguel anytime soon. But yeah, I’m excited. He’s obviously one of my idols. He is one of the first people I look up to coming into the PBA. So hopefully, one day, I get to play against him.”
But first, Ramirez said his focus is to get to know the Road Warriors' system a little bit better in the coming days.
“I’m still adjusting to the system. Obviously, I trust our coaches, our staff, and our players. I'm looking forward to building on this and seeing if we can get another win next game,” said Ramirez.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
