By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards are strong believers that “chemistry and familiarity will win you ballgames.”
Having a lineup composed of three brothers can give you exactly that.
Head coach Charles Tiu and the Rice Vanguards have decided to deploy the Gomez de Liaño brothers for the upcoming 2020 Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3×3 President’s Cup presented by TM, the first-ever professional 3×3 league in the country.
Joe, Javi, and Juan will try to lead the squad and give the franchise its first-ever 3×3 title.
For coach Tiu, the 3×3 game is all about chemistry inside the court, so teaming up with the GDL brothers would ensure no problems with court familiarity among the boys.
Furthermore, the combination of the three inside would post huge match-up problems against the opposing squad, with Juan being a marksman in the perimeter to go along with his killer handles, Javi proving himself as one of the best two-way players in the UAAP, and Joe as an athletic freak who can rebound, defend, and slash to the cup at will.
“Juan is probably our most talented guys. I expect him to score a lot. Javi has been working on his game. He’s shooting straight and is one of our better shooters. We also have Joe who is probably our most athletic player. He gives us a lot of athleticism and physicality,” said coach Tiu.
