L-JAY Gonzales had plans to apply for the PBA Draft last season, which would have put him in the same class as his former Far Eastern University teammates RJ Abarrientos and Xyrus Torres.
But he doesn’t mind skipping the draft a year ago, as he feels like he is readier than ever to make the jump to the PBA in Season 50.
“Dapat nga, last year pa ako nagpa-draft. Eto na siguro ‘yung time na magpa-draft na ako. Eto ‘yung time na i-shine ko ‘yung talent ko sa PBA kung hanggang saan ang kaya ko,” said Gonzales - who currently plays for the Quezon Huskers, the South Division leader in the MPBL, as of posting time.
“Sobrang happy ako na nakapagpa-draft na ako. Eto ‘yung pangarap ng parents ko, ng mga sumusuporta sa akin, hindi lang ako.”
When asked what prevented him from applying last year, the 25-year-old Gonzales said: “Sinabihan ako ng mga coaches na may plano pa sila na mas maayos sa akin. Eto na ‘yung time sa sarili ko na nag-decide na talaga ako.”
“Siguro, may purpose naman lahat ng ginagawa namin. Eto na ‘yung best time.”
Tamaraws charge into PBA
The 5-foot-11 Gonzales is one of the highly-touted names in this year’s draft, following his play in high school and college for FEU where he teamed up with the likes of Abarrientos and Torres.
The trio formed the core of the Baby Tamaraws' championship team in 2017 before joining forces for the Tamaraws' playoff squads under then-coach Olsen Racela. Abarrientos and Torres now star for Barangay Ginebra and NLEX, respectively.
Gonzales looks forward to sharing the court with them again, possibly as opponents, during his rookie season, while also trying to emulate their qualities when it comes to giving their best for their respective teams.
“Lagi nga nila akong binibiro eh. Dapat last year pa, sabay-sabay tayo, sabi nila sa akin. Naiingit nga ako sa kanila na nakapaglaro na sila sa PBA," he said.
"Ako, eto naman siguro ‘yung time na makapaglaro against them na mga teammate ko simula high school at college. Sobrang happy din ako na nakikita ko sila na naglalaro sa PBA, maganda mga ginagawa nila, maganda ‘yung mga binibigay nilang trabaho sa bawat team nila.
“Kung ano ‘yung ginagawa nila, ganun din ‘yung gagawin ko. Kung ano man ang role na gagampanan ko sa team na makakakuha sa akin, ibibigay ko ‘yung 100-percent ko.”
Gonzales will also be applying for the PBA draft alongside fellow Huskers Will Gozum and Judel Fuentes. He is also glad about the support of Quezon management and coaching staff led by Eric Gonzales.
READ: Quezon's Judel Fuentes out to take high-scoring act to the PBA
“Sabi nga ng mga coaches, happy sila. Lahat kami sa Quezon, dream naman namin ito. Lagi lang namin nire-remind ‘yung each other na kung saan man tayo mapuntang team, sana mag-enjoy tayo at maglaro lang tayo kung ano ‘yung nilalaro natin. Support naman sa isa’t-isa,” he said.
Being one of the big names in this batch, Gonzales is embracing the label of observers that he will be a projected first-rounder in this guard-laden draft.
“I-enjoy ko lang, nandyan naman ‘yung mga coaches na nagre-remind sa akin, lalo na sa Quezon, lagi nila akong pinu-push at sinasabihan kung ano ang mga kulang ko. Enjoy ko lang. Kung ano naman ‘yung result, kung kulang pa ako, tatrabahuin ko kung ano ‘yung kailangan ko trabahuin,” he said.
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