Talented forward Justine Baltazar has also caught the eye of teams in Japan’s professional league, the B.League as well as in the National Basketball League-USA.
Pampanga’s sports coordinator Alan Trinidad, Baltazar’s long-time handler and confidante, revealed this during an appearance on the show entitled Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas’ Snowball.
“Tatlong teams ang nagtatanong tungkol sa kanya sa B.League. Kahit sa NBL USA, kinukuha siya. Yung Chicago na team nila dun,” Trinidad shared.
Baltazar’s team, led by Pampanga governor Delta Pineda, though, is currently pondering what their next move will be especially with the 6-foot-8 forward still focused on preparing for Gilas’ campaign in the FIBA Asia Cup.
“Maraming kumukuha pero iba pa yung kino-concentrate ng bata kaya pinag-aaralan pa ni Gov yung technicalities,” revealed Trinidad.
Baltazar’s play with Gilas has certainly grabbed the attention of not only local basketball fans but international coaches alike. Primarily utilized as a big man by De La Salle University in the UAAP, Baltazar has been transformed into a perimeter player in the Gilas and averaged a solid 7.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game in the five games that he played in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers.
He also held his own in games versus Serbia and the Dominican Republic in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament where he scored 7.5 points and grabbed 4.5 boards per outing.
This kind of numbers have definitely attracted the attention of foreign scouts and teams that are willing to shell out big bucks for the services of the versatile forward.
“Maganda naman yung alok sa kanya. Hindi maiwan dun kay Ravena at baka tumaas pa,” shared Trinidad. (JNP)