MANILA, Philippines – Puerto Rican Peter John Ramos finally had his taste of Philippine basketball when Kia lost an exhibition game against fellow expansion team Blackwater Elite, 81-95, last Sunday.
The 7-foot-3 Ramos, who just arrived late last week, played sparingly in the first quarter and watched on the bench for the rest of the game against Blackwater, which opted to rest their own 7-foot-1 import Chris Charles.
The Puerto Rican big man was also at courtside during Game Three of the PBA Finals, where Alaska came back from 21 points down to beat San Miguel Beer and took a 2-1 series lead.
"I feel good. I've been all around the world so it (PBA) ain't different from other people's basketball," Ramos told Philstar.com.
Ramos, 29, was a member of the Puerto Rican national team that beat USA in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Shortly after his Olympic stint, he was drafted 32nd overall by the Washington Wizards. He averaged 1.8 points, 0.7 rebounds and 0.2 blocks in a total of six regular season games in 2004 with the Wizards.
He was also an All-Star in the NBA Developmental League during the 2007 season and compiled career averages of 14.1 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 76 games overall with Idaho Stampede and Roanoke Dazzle. From the US, he went to Spain and joined ACB then returned to Puerto Rico and also had stints in China's CBA and Korea's KBL.
The hulking import, whom Kia playing coach Manny Pacquiao described as "mamang-mama" liked what he saw in his first taste of PBA.
"I like that – the physicality. It will be an interesting season [conference]," Ramos said.
Despite the 14-point loss to an import-less Blackwater, Ramos is optimistic that Kia is bound to get better with him around.
"It's still too early. I need to get used to them and they need to get used to me. I'm gonna help them become a better team," said the 29-year-old Ramos.
The Puerto Rican big man is honored to play with Manny Pacquiao, whom he described as the "best boxer" right now.
"I'm completely honored. I'm here to help them (Kia) win and get to the playoffs. I'm a scorer and a rebounder so it will be an interesting to see how it goes," Ramos said.
Ramos and Kia will open their Commissioner's Cup campaign against the GlobalPort Batang Pier on January 27.