With their backs against the wall, Gian Gomez showed defiance to give College of Saint Benilde-La Salle Green Hills a new lease on life.
The 5-foot-6 guard answered the call when the Greenies were needing of a spark in the absence of star scorer Quillian Quines, delivering clutch baskets and defensive stops to rally LSGH to a 78-74 overtime win over Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Game 1 of NCAA Season 100 juniors basketball Final Four on Monday.
Gomez finished with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block as the Greenies dragged the Squires to a deciding Game 2.
And there's a deeper reason why he plays so fearlessly.
Gomez shared that growing up, his father, Alfred, who died during the height of the pandemic in 2021 while nursing a separate disease, allowed him the freedom to pursue what he wanted, giving him a sense of freedom that shaped his future self.
"He’s not very talkative, hindi naman siya nagbibigay ng mga inspirational talks sa'kin. But never niya ako binigyan ng pressure," Gomez told GMA News Online.
"He let me do whatever I want and that’s why I’m very very grateful for him dahil when it comes to a big stage like this, kaya ko. Dahil kung sa dad ko nga walang pressure, what more sa ganito."
Gomez revealed that his dad and his older brother Gabriel are his fuel in his young basketball career and he used that to lift the underdog Greenies against the twice-to-beat Letran in a game with all the pressure on the Squires.
"Sa utak namin, without our head coach and assistant coach, we've got nothing to lose dahil we’re short-handed and we’ve never beaten them so ‘pag natalo kami what’s mawawala sa amin," he added.
"But when we beat them, maraming mawawala sa kanila. The pressure’s on them."
—JMB, GMA Integrated News
