Migs Oczon expressed gratitude to College of Saint Benilde as he set to see action for Mobus Phoebus in the Korean Basketball League.
Oczon, who sat out the Blazers’ 93-83 win over Lyceum of the Philippines University in the bronze medal match of Season 99 National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament last Sunday, said he had to consult his friends and family before deciding to accept the offer to play in the professional league in South Korea.
The 23-year-old gunner is set to become the latest Filipino to join the Korean exodus following Rhenz Abando, SJ Belangel, Justin Gutang and Dave Ildefonso.
With that, he will formally forego the remaining two years of his eligibility in the country’s oldest collegiate league.
“It would have been nice to play with my teammates for one more time but I can’t do that anymore. It’s been a tough decision for me because Saint Benilde is very special for me and at the end of the day I’m just thinking what’s best for me and my family,” said Oczon, who played for National University before moving to the Taft-based squad in 2021.
“I had to consult coach Charles, my parents and people who are close to me and we came to the conclusion to forgo my last playing years.”
In his three seasons with the Blazers, Oczon helped them reach the finals for the first time in 20 years last year. They, however, fell prey to Letran College in the best-of-three series.
He was also a major factor when he scored 17 points for Saint Benilde in its 67-78 loss to Mapua University in the Final Four last 28 November.
Tiu, who took over as the Blazers head coach in 2021, takes pride in helping his players reach new heights.
“It’s been one of my goals, even when I am recruiting players. I just want to give them the best opportunity. Oczon had two more years left and he asked me for advice,” Tiu said, referring to Oczon, who will fill the shoes left by RJ Abarrientos for the Korean club.
“I told him ‘I want you to finish your studies but if you can provide for your family, you will never know when that opportunity will arrive again.’ If I could help my players in any way, that’s fulfilling enough for me.”
Oczon said aside from Tiu, the lessons he learned from team consultant Rajko Toroman will help him in his overseas debut.
“For sure, they just told me to be professional since that will be my work. Just keep on improving, keep working, keep learning. Knowing Coach Rajko, he’s a very great international coach, I learned a lot from him that I will bring to Korea,” Oczon said.
“One of the major things I learned is to give importance to the little details, to trust your teammates, and to respect the game. He’s been very detailed about respecting the game, for example no slippers inside the court. Those are the things that will make me grow more in basketball.”
