ANOTHER top amateur standout, considered as a key player for the present and future national team, is bringing his act to the Land of the Rising Sun.
Former La Salle big man Justine Baltazar has signed up with Hiroshima for the Japan B. League’s next season, the ballclub announced yesterday.
“We are pleased to inform you that we have signed a new contract with Justin Baltazar.
With a height of 207 cm (6-foot-7) and long limbs, he will not only able to persistently get the rebound, but he also has a good outside shooting, so I am confident that the variation of offense will increase,” Dragonflies general manager Shuji Okazaki said in a statement posted on the team’s website.
“I think that it will be possible to reduce the tactics of the team as soon as possible even after joining the team because the awareness of the team is very high, and the basketball IQ is also high. I look forward to the success that leads the team to victory,” he added.
While Baltazar is set on his Japan stint, Kiefer Ravena has some tough balancing act to do.
Ravena has reportedly been offered a new pact by Shiga in the Japan B. league, which could come in conflict with his coming stint for NLEX in the season-opening Philippine Cup on June 5.
Ravena and his camp are reportedly trying to bargain for a new arrangement where he will see action for the Road Warriors for only the Philippine Cup before returning to Japan to resume his career with Shiga.
Ravena, 28, played for Gilas Pilipinas squad that settled for the silver in the just concluded 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi. He announced his retirement from playing for the national team in the SEA Games last Monday.
Baltazar applied for the PBA rookie draft earlier this month but pulled out at the last minute.
Baltazar’s biggest considerations in his decision are his wife Rizza and son Zeus Avery, who will turn two tomorrow.
“Before signing the contract, I was thinking about my family first. Of course, I also had a strong desire to join this team. However, after considering my wife and son, I thought that the Hiroshima Dragonflies are a wonderful team for my family,” Baltazar said.
“It is a great honor to be a member of the team. I will never forget this connection. I would like to do my best to contribute to the club.”
