MANILA, Philippines — Former La Salle standout Justine Baltazar reaffirmed his commitment to the Gilas Pilipinas program as he is set to take his professional career to the Japan B. League.
In his introductory press conference on Monday, Baltazar said that he would always heed the call of the national team — even when he is a thousand miles away playing for the Hiroshima Dragonflies.
"If they call and ask for my help, I'll gladly participate with our Gilas team," said Baltazar, who was part of the Nationals in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers and the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament last year.
The 25-year-old said that his stints with Gilas enriched his game, which he now brings to the Dragonflies.
"My experience and learnings with Gilas Pilipinas shaped me a lot and it will help me a lot to my new team here in Japan," he said.
The UAAP champion was also able to receive good feedback from his fellow national team members.
"They have been very supportive of my plans and decision. I'm grateful for their support," he said.
Baltazar joins scores of Filipino imports in the Japan B. League like Kiefer Ravena (Shiga Lakes), Thirdy Ravena (San-En NeoPhoenix), Dwight Ramos (Levanga Hokkaido), Ray Parks Jr. (Nagoya Diamond Dolphins), Kobe Paras (Altiri Chiba), Jordan Heading (Nagasaki Velca) and Greg Slaughter (Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka).
The two Ravenas, Ramos and Parks Jr. will be competing in the upcoming window of the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers at the end of the month.