By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The NLEX Road Warriors just inked its backup point guard Matt Nieto to a two-year extension contract effective until 2026.
Nieto, the steady floor general who serves as the no. 1 backup of NLEX’s premier point guard Robert Bolick, played a huge role in helping the franchise qualify in the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup playoffs.
Despite losing at the hands of the Meralco Bolts during the quarterfinals, the Road Warriors still had a heads up season following a roller coaster start in the Philippine Cup.
NLEX was plagued by injuries early in the conference and made a decent push in the final two weeks to salvage a place in the post season.
In his 11 games played in the Philippine Cup, Nieto averaged 5.3 points, 3.1 assists, and 1.7 rebounds per contest.
According to NLEX governor Ronald Dularte, Nieto is one of the team’s key pieces and they are looking for more productive years with him in the PBA.
“Even when he was a rookie, he showed great leadership to our team. In fact, he was our team captain in PBA Season 48,” Dularte said.
Nieto came from the prestigious Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles program and was mentored by head coach Tab Baldwin.
Before leaving the Ateneo lair during their senior year, Nieto helped the school clinch its third consecutive UAAP Men’s basketball championship title.
