ALTHOUGH no longer playing for the team, Javi Gomez de Liano still felt a tinge of pain seeing the Terrafirma franchise possibly bidding goodbye to the PBA.
The 26-year-old wingman recently returned to the Philippines after finishing his first season with Korean Basketball League ballclub Anyang Jun Kwang Jang Red Boosters.
READ: Free agent Javi GDL admits getting feelers from one PBA team
And the sale of his former team of its PBA franchise by the end of the season was what welcomed him upon his return.
“Of course na-sad din ako because we have some good memories with that team,” admitted Gomez de Liano.
One of those good memories came just a season ago when GDL teamed up with Stephen Holt, Juami Tiongson, Isaac Go, and Andreas Cahilig to drive the Dyip to a rare quarterfinals appearance during the Season 48 Philippine Cup.
Seeded eighth in the playoffs, they would take top seed San Miguel to the distance before losing in the knockout game for a semifinals berth.
But that athletic Terrafirma core wouldn’t last long.
Gomez de Liano opted not to sign the new contract offer by the Dyip and took his act to the KBL.
Holt and Go were later dealt to Barangay Ginebra for Christian Standhardinger and Stanley Pringle, followed by the trade of Tiongson and Cahilig to the Beermen in exchange of Terrence Romeo and Vic Manuel.
Standhardinger briefly played for the team before retiring, while Manuel chose to play with Pangasinan in the MPBL when his contract with the franchise expired.
Romeo has been in and out of the lineup owing to health issues, leaving Pringle as the only one regularly suiting up out of the players Terrafirma received from two separate trades.
Keep the core
GDL admitted having moved on from his last stint with Dyip, who still own his playing rights.
But should the franchise's sale to the Zamboanga Valintes push through, he hopes the new management would take care of the entire team.
“I just hope they keep the players for the betterment naman din,” the former University of the Philippines star said.
At the same time, he hopes the new owners will be able to put up a competitive team.
“I hope the next buyer will raise the (quality) of the league better,” said Gomez de Liano.
Terrafirma suffered its fourth straight loss last Friday in the Philippine Cup behind a 110-74 blowout at the hands of TNT. Overall, it now stands at 1-5, languishing at the bottom of the standings.
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