MANILA – Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards are hell-bent on turning things around in the upcoming Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) season by securing the services of former Most Valuable Player Gab Banal.
Rice Vanguards head coach Charles Tiu said that the former Bacoor Strikers forward was a great addition to his team. Banal is also familiar with his system after the both of them were part of Mighty Sports and Go for Gold teams.
“He was a former MVP in our league and is a very good leader,” Tiu said on Banal. “His work ethic is tremendous and he can do so many different things offensively, giving us versatility. He’s one guy we’ve always wanted and finally it can happen.”
During the 2018 MPBL Datu Cup, Banal posted norms of 18.2 points, 8.9 rebounds and 6.4 assists to win the MVP plum. The Strikers made it to the semis before being swept by Davao Occidental.
In the recent Lakan Cup, Banal had averages of 13.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.0 steals per contest. He once again led Bacoor but missed the semis due to a sprained left medial collateral ligament.
The Rice Vanguards also signed up former University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons’ Juan and Javi Gomez de Liaño, who were also handled by Tiu in Mighty Sports before.
Also signing with Nueva Ecija is homegrown Edzel Mag-isa, formerly of Muntinlupa. The 6-foot-5 big man averaged 9.9 points and 5.7 rebounds last season. Former Philippine Basketball Association cager Renz Palma also agreed to a deal with the team.
Nueva Ecija posted a 10-20 win-loss record during the 2019-20 Chooks-to-Go MPBL Lakan Season, finishing 11th in the Northern Division./PN
