Dwight Ramos ‘big piece’ in Levanga’s B.League bid, says Tominaga

Levanga Hokkaido’s Dwight Ramos during the Japan B.League Manila preseason games. –B.LEAGUE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Levanga Hokkaido’s Dwight Ramos scored just 13 points in the squad’s 98-81 loss to Gunma Crane Thunders in the Japan B.League preseason game at Mall of Asia Arena. Wednesday night.

Yet those 13 points drew a louder response than almost every other scoring output, something that  caught Hokkaido star Keisei Tominaga off guard.

READ: AJ Edu, Gunma cruise past Dwight Ramos, Levanga in B.League Manila

“I heard a lot about him before but I didn’t expect the crowd to go like that,” he told the Inquirer. “It was cool. It was good to see him play in front of his hometown and country.”

Tominaga dazzled for Levanga with a team-high 19 points, and while the crowd also cheered him on, it was overshadowed by the reception Ramos received from the home crowd.

READ: Gilas stars AJ Edu, Dwight Ramos put friendship aside in B.League

Tominaga also lauded the Gilas Pilipinas guard’s improvement and importance to Hokkaido, which is looking to improve on last season’s campaign that saw the team fall just short of the playoffs.

“He’s amazing, for sure,” Tominaga said. “He doesn’t smile that much but he always makes great plays for us. He makes great shots and effort on the defensive end.

“He’s a big piece for us. I like playing with him.”