ALTHOUGH they are proving their worth, Filipino cagers in the Japan B. League admitted there is one challenge they are trying to overcome.
“I guess the biggest difference is the back-to-backs, the number of games, it really takes a toll on you,” Shiga prized playmaker Kiefer Ravena said in the league’s Asia All-Star special.
“You feel it on the 10th, 15th, 20th game especially me and Ray (Parks) being the old heads out here. The mileage is a little bit different, especially for the younger guys,” he added.
Niigata Albirex BB high-flying forward Kobe Paras said the grueling 60-game schedule in a season in the fledgling Japan league caught him by surprise.
“The fact that we have back-to-back games is just crazy. Sometimes, we have three games in a week so that’s pretty new to me,” Paras said. “I think that’s one thing that really surprised me.”
Aside from Ravena and Paras, seven others are playing in Japan.
Bobby Ray Parks Jr. of Nagoya, Toyama’s Dwight Ramos, Juan Gomez de Liaño of Tokyo Z, Ibakari’s Javi Gomez de Liaño, Kenmark Cariño of Aomori, and Shinshu are the other Pinoy dribbles seeing action in the Land of the Rising Sun.
