FRUITFUL has been the Gomez de Liaño brothers' stay in University of the Philippines, but as good as the past four years were, have we seen its end?
Juan certainly fueled those speculations with one tweet after its 68-65 defeat to University of Santo Tomas in its UAAP Season 82 exit.
I'll always cherish the past 7 years in my beloved Alma Mater. Definitely been the best ever. Maraming salamat, UP! It’s been real ??????????
— Juan Gómez de Liaño (@juan_swish9) November 13, 2019
"I'll always cherish the past 7 years in my beloved Alma Mater. Definitely been the best ever. Maraming salamat, UP! It’s been real," the 6-foot-2 guard wrote.
The Rookie of the Year in 2017 did shrug off his post and said: "Wala naman yun. I'm just thankful and I'm just thinking about the future."
Juan just wrapped his third year with the Fighting Maroons, while his older brother Javi was on his fourth season.
And just like his brother, Javi is unsure if he'll be back for UP next year.
"I'm gonna take the next month to decide. I'm still thinking if I'm gonna join the PBA Draft. I'll still have to ask guidance. That's an option," said the 6-foot-5 forward. "Another option is if I get a good offer in MPBL. And of course, I can also play my final year in UP. That will always be an option."
Javi even tweeted: "It’s been a great ride for real!! UP changed me and I was always proud of my guys!! Win or lose. Blessed to rep the maroon and white for 7 years #MaroonForLife #OnToTheNextOne"
It’s been a great ride for real!! UP changed me and I was always proud of my guys!! Win or lose. Blessed to rep the maroon and white for 7 years ?????? #MaroonForLife #OnToTheNextOne pic.twitter.com/AGYcPQRTMl
— Javi Gomez de Liaño (@javigdl22) November 13, 2019
It was a painful end to the Fighting Maroons' campaign after heading to the season with heightened expectations.
And they couldn't say that the chances weren't there.
After Renzo Subido put UST up, 66-65, with 23.6 seconds left, Javi and Bright Akhuetie botched their point-blank baskets late, failing to steal the lead back and escalated to Soulemane Chabi Yo making it a three-point game with his free throws.
"It was really close shot. I should've made it," rued Javi. "Pinasa saakin, tumalon agad ako at minadali ko ata. Maybe, it wasn't meant to be. Maybe, we weren't meant to be in the Finals this year."
UP had one final shot in the last 4.4 seconds, but James Spencer could not force overtime with his open trey at the buzzer.
"We gave it our best shot. Everyone had their own sacrifices and we just fell short. God has a better plan, for sure," said Juan.
Disappointing as the end of this season may be, the Gomez de Liaño brothers are just proud for all of the team's efforts and are happy to have made this run with this crew.
"It's been a tough season not just for me but the whole team. Expectations were high and we fell short," Juan said. "We couldn’t prove the haters wrong, but I'm just thankful just to be part of this family. Through ups and downs, so much went on in the season. I'm just glad we stayed together all throughout. That bond meant a lot for my career. I'd say this season, definitely, is one of the seasons na I really learned a lot and I got to know more about myself. I'm just thankful for the team."
Javi ended: "I'm really proud of my team. No one really knows what we went through in the offseason, but this has been like the best years of my life. No regrets."
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