Wolves, JGDL in must-win  

The fledgling BC Wolves, the first European professional basketball team to recruit a homegrown male Filipino player in Juan Gomez de Liaño, are in a must-win situation for their last elimination-round game in the European North Basketball League (ENBL). The Wolves, who have four wins and two losses in Group B, carry a two-game winning streak against undefeated group leader King Szczecin (pronounced “Shteh-teen”) on Feb. 10 at 12:30 a.m., Philippine time. The Polish club has swept its first six games to assure itself of a playoff berth in the 15-team, nine-country league. The game will be broadcast live on the BC Wolves Facebook page.

The Wolves, whom Gomez de Liaño joined only in the last week of October, were formed just last June, and are coached by 1988 Olympic gold medalist Rimas Kurtinaitis. They parade three members of the Lithuanian national team, which is ranked eighth in the world and is seeing action in the upcoming FIBA World Cup. The BC Wolves concurrently play in the very tough LKL or Lithuanian Basketball League, where they are third behind two teams that have many of the other Lithuanian national players, BC Zalgiris (with six) and BC Rytas (which also has three). The Wolves are only half a game behind second-running hometown rival Rytas.

Given the hectic schedule, the Wolves were the last to see action in the ENBL. They started playing after each of the other teams had already played four games. As a concession, all of their previous games had been road games, requiring long trips on the team bus. The squad has been through Estonia, Latvia, Israel and Poland. They won their first two games by good margins. In the second win, Gomez de Liaño showed his potential with 22 points and 5 steals. They then lost two squeakers, then won their last two despite having four injured players, including import and multiple European champion Jeffery Taylor. Meanwhile, the 6’1” Filipino guard has been a consistent starter for the team.

The top four squads in each group advance to the ENBL playoffs. Should the Wolves lose, they will be tied for fourth with Trefl Sopot at four wins and three losses. However, via the winner over the other tiebreaker rule, Sopot (which beat them with a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Jean Salumu) get the playoff spot. A win puts the Wolves in a tie for second, letting them advance outright.

There is a bright future for the Wolves, and Juan (who is only 23 years old). The team is doing everything right. They are campaigning for a license to play in the EuroLeague against many of the top-tier commercial teams on the continent, where many NBA players start out. The franchise is currently renovating their gigantic venue in Vilnius, the capital city (which celebrated its 700th anniversary almost two weeks ago.) For now, they are playing in a small gym in Alytus, inherited from the previous franchise holder. But Vilnius is where the crowds are. Their Facebook page is growing at an accelerated rate, having soared past 107,000 followers and 98,000 likes just in the last three months. Team members constantly participate in charity work and corporate social responsibility projects. In fact, they will soon be wearing jerseys with artwork designed by children who are fans of the team.

The team is also expanding its footprint in the Philippines. A week ago, BC Wolves Regional Manager for the Philippines Glenmarc Antonio met with Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Richard Bachmann. The pair explored partnerships between the PSC and the Wolves, which will include knowledge transfer from Europe not only in basketball, but also in football, mixed martial arts and other sports. In other words, the team wants to export high-end sports, and eventually have its coaches and players visit the country. The BC Wolves appreciate the nation that embraced them in return for taking in one of our own. The Philippine Wolfpack is for real.