JUAN Gomez De Liano marked the first-year anniversary of his first-ever triple-double in the PBA on Sunday.
So what a way to celebrate it than to reprise the same feat a year after.
The Converge rookie again ended up with a triple-double of 32 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists in a wire-to-wire win over Titan Ultra in the Governors’ Cup curtain raiser at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
It was Converge coach Dennis ‘Delta’ Pineda who divulged that it was one year to the day his rookie pulled off his maiden triple-double.
“Sabihin mo na, anniversary nung triple-double niya na history. First game niya, first triple-double. Happy anniversary, Juan,” said Pineda while seating beside Gomez De Liano.
The No. 2 overall pick of the Season 50 draft netted 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists also against Titan Ultra in his league debut last year at Ynares Center Montalban, punctuating a 129-92 win.
In doing so, Gomez De Liano became the first player to complete a TD in his first official game in Asia’s 50-year-old pro league.
But the 26-year-old guard said he’s actually looking beyond the numbers as he was more focused on keeping the FiberXers’ momentum going especially with the playoffs just around the corner.
“We pretty much want to build a momentum especially going towards the playoffs. I think we’re pretty much playing the right way, and you know, we could continue it into the next two games para maging maganda yung placing namin sa crossover,” said Gomez De Liano.
“We’re pretty much satisfied about playing the right way and be there for one another.”
Overall, it was the fourth career TD for the rookie player out of University of the Philippines, making him the first player to achieve the mark this season.
The win improved Converge to a 6-4 record in a tie with defending champion TNT for third place in Group A.
It likewise formally clinched for the team a berth in the quarterfinals after missing the playoffs in the last Commissioner’s Cup.
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