BC Wolves bid farewell to Juan Gómez de Liaño

The BC Wolves, a professional Lithuanian basketball club, announces the departure of Filipino player Juan Gómez de Liaño. A former University of the Philippines Fighting Maroon and Gilas Pilipinas selection, Juan Gómez de Liaño will be joining the South Korean Basketball League (KBL) vice-champion Seoul SK Knights.

Juan Gómez de Liaño CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Juan came to Lithuania at the beginning of last season (October 2022) to become the first-ever male homegrown basketball player to sign a contract with a European club.

The former PBA D-League Most Valuable Player appeared in seven games in the Lithuanian basketball league (Betsafe-LKL) and averaged 3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists. He got more playing time in the European North Basketball League (ENBL), averaging a little more than 10 minutes per game, and logged 4.1 points, 1.4 assists and 1 steal per outing.

It was in the ENBL that JGDL – as he is popularly known in the Philippines – played his best game, when he scored 22 points, assisted his teammates 4 times and made 5 steals.

The club thanks Juan for his contribution and wishes him success in his future career.

As to what the future holds, the BC Wolves are excited to enter its second season in the top basketball league in Lithuania, the Betsafe-LKL. Recently, the club has moved its base of operations from Alytus to the nation's capital in Vilnius and will be playing in its new home at the newly renovated Avia Solutions Group Arena, the first international-level universal arena in Vilnius and can host up to 10,000 spectators.

The BC Wolves are also eyeing to join premier national and European basketball tournaments and will be counting on the continued support of the Philippines and the rest of the Southeast Asian region known for having some of the best basketball fans in the world.