The NLEX Road Warriors made sure to give LJay Gonzales an apt nickname to match the rookie's blinding speed.
Call him “Speedy Gonzales” from now on.
LJay Gonzales banked on speed in putting up 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals in NLEX’s 112-105 win over Magnolia in the PBA Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup Sunday night, March 15.
The rookie Road Warrior is embracing the nickname his team gave him, which is in reference to the Looney Tunes character that first appeared in 1953.
“Siguro yun po nakikita nila. Sobrang happy naman ako na yun sinasabi sakin,” he said with a smile after the match at te Ynares Center in Montalban.
The former FEU standout couldn’t help but feel elated to earn such monicker in just his third official game with the Road Warriors.
“Yun sinabi nila boss so kailangan tanggapin. Sobrang sarap din sa pakiramdam na sasabihin ka ng ganun ng manager,” he said, referring to team manager Virgil Villavicencio.
After fulfilling his contract with an MPBL team, Gonzales played one game for NLEX in the Philippine Cup.
Now after a significant amount of time with the team, Gonzales is quickly emerging as a key piece for the Road Warriors as he closed out the first two matches of the Commissioner’s Cup, both of which were wins.
“He gives us a different dimension sa laro,” said Jong Uichico of Gonzales.
Gonzales is only expected to get better by the day.
But the speedster will be put to a ultimate test when the Road Warriors play defending champion TNT in their next game on March 22.
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Like most sportswriters, Jan Ballesteros once dreamed of becoming a professional hooper. But he learned the hard way that it’s not for everyone.
He continues to be involved in the sport he loves, but this time as a member of the PBA Press Corps. Aside from primarily covering the PBA, he is also assigned to cover Gilas Pilipinas.