WHY RAMOS IS BRINGING ACT TO JAPAN B.LEAGUE
HY are Filipino players bringing their act to the Japan B. League, Japan’s professional basketball league?
Dwight Ramos, perhaps one of the best on the Gilas Pilipinas cadet program, tells why.
“It’s really just that I am 23 so I’m already old. My coaches and everyone believe that I’m ready to play professionally,” Ramos told Businessmirror. “The Covid-19 situation is not so good here in the Philippines. Basketball has been affected. It’s hard to play, so I have to look for a better option.”
Ramos, who celebrated his 23rd birthday only last September 2, became the eighth Filipino to ply his trade in Japan after he recently signed a one-year contract with the Toyama Grouses, a Japan.bleague Division 1 team.
The 6-foot-4 Ramos, a Filipinoamerican from West Covina in California, was tapped by Ateneo, but never got to play in a Blue Eagle uniform because the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) shelved its resumption because of the Covid-19 pandemic—in fact, he couldn’t play in the UAAP anymore because he has turned pro.
Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin took Ramos in at Gilas for the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup Qualifiers and punched exceptional game averages of 13.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Gilas booked a six-game sweep of Group A.
Ramos didn’t divulge how much salary he will earn in Japan, but admitted “it’s way beyond the normal salary of a professional player in the Philippines.”
“My agent [Titan Management] knows that but I keep it confidential,” he said. “The pay is absolutely higher in Japan than in the PBA.”
Long-time player agent Danny Espiritu told Businessmirror in a separate interview that the pay grade at the Japanese B.league is three times higher in a Division 1 team and most likely twice more in Division 2.
But he refused to speak on behalf of Ramos and other Japanbound Filipino players.
“As far as I know, if you sign up for one year in Japan, you will earn the equivalent of three years pay in the PBA [Philippine Basketball Association],” Espiritu said. “If you’re getting the maximum P500,000 in the PBA per month, you’ll get P1.5 million a month in Japan.”
More or less it’s times three or 2.5 times higher and that’s over and above bonuses that are stipulated in US dollars,” Espiritu added.
Ramos said he would remain available for Gilas and will still play in the PBA in the future.
“Hopefully, I think everyone comes to the Philippines, so the PBA is always an option for us,” Ramos said, noting that TNT would be his favored team.
“I have been with MVP [Manny V. Pangilinan] for the Gilas and I practiced with TNT before,” he said.
He said that he would always be committed to play for the men’s national team under Baldwin.
“As long as they want me there, I will always play for Gilas Pilipinas,” said the son of Artemio Ramos, who is originally from Ilocos Sur, and Russian mother Liliya.
The other players in the Japanese B.league’s Division
I are Thirdy Ravena (San-en Neophoenix) and his older brother Kiefer Ravena (Shiga Lakestars), Bobby Ray Parks Jr. (Nagoya Diamond Dolphins), Kobe Paras (Niigata Albirex BB) and Javi Gomez de Liaño (Ibaraki Robots).
De Liaño younger brother Juan and Kenmark Cariño are with Division 2 teams Earth Tokyo Z and Aomori Wat, respectively.