Dwight Ramos. Photo from Levanga Hokkaido
MANILA, Philippines — Dwight Ramos believes the Levanga Hokkaido can do much better in the upcoming 2023-23 B.League season.
Ramos and Levanga have a lot of room to grow after the team only managed to win 19 out of their 60 games last season.
“Personally, I really don’t think about it too much, goals or anything. I just wanted to get more wins than last year. Especially with how the team is playing, I feel like we can get more wins this year,” said Ramos, who is entering his second season with Hokkaido, in a virtual press conference on Wednesday, “It should be more exciting for fans since we play hard, especially here at home so that’s really the biggest thing. Win as many games as we can.”
Ramos averaged 9.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in his first season with Hokkaido, playing just 41 games after going down with a right ankle injury in November.
Armed with his first Fiba World Cup experience, the Gilas Pilipinas star is eager to build a strong reputation when the Levanga open their campaign against the Akita Happinets on October 7.
“I just hope that we can build a reputation that whenever a team comes to Hokkaido, it’s gonna be hard for them to win. I want them to come here play a different way, you have a different swag — that it’s going to be hard for teams to come here and beat us at our home court,” said the 6-foot-4 guard. “That’s what I hope to be starting this year. Hopefully, our team can do that in the first [game] and play throughout the whole season.”
Dwight Ramos. Photo from Levanga Hokkaido
Hokkaido will be having a new coach as assistant Ryutaro Onodera took over the reins from Kenichi Sako last February.
“I think coach has, I think last year he was kind of in a different situation he was put there halfway through the season. He has a full year to put in his offense and defense, what he wants to do. And just because he has more time, he is able to develop the team better and make us more disciplined with what he wants to do and teaches what he wants to do so there’s some different things,” Ramos, who is in his third year in the B.League, said. “I can’t reveal too much… It’s good stuff and he has more time to put it in. I think that’s the reason why it’s going to be a much better season also.”
The 25-year-old Ramos decided to return to Hokkaido because Sapporo is his favorite city and he felt the team really wanted him.
“The only thing that I can do is just prepare myself for whatever he asks of me so in practice I’m going to have to do extra shots, extra work before and after practice. Just to be ready for whatever he asks. If he asks me to bring down the ball, ballhandling is right and I just kind of need to be well-rounded and do what he asks of me,” he said.
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