Francis Lopez taps fellow Filipino imports to navigate Japan B.League rookie campaign

As he embarks on his first season in Japan’s top-flight basketball league, Francis Lopez has turned to experienced teammates to help him adapt both on and off the court with Fighting Eagles Nagoya.

Lopez formally joined FE Nagoya last April, leaving the collegiate ranks of UP Fighting Maroons after leading them to the UAAP Season 87 crown.

To ease that transition, Lopez keeps a close line to two established B.LEAGUE imports: Dwight Ramos and Kiefer Ravena.

 “My closest one is actually Dwight … and we text every day,” Lopez said during the 2025 B.League Hope Asia Hoop Festival.

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A breakout game today for Francis Lopez.

He had 27 points, 7 rebounds, a steal, and a block for FE Nagoya on 12/16 shooting from the field.

He’s an elite athlete in any league in the world and was unguardable.

No reason for him to not be in consideration for a Gilas spot. pic.twitter.com/BiYiTbA3tf

— Ryan Alba (@_alba__) November 2, 2025

Ramos, now in his fifth season in Japan and fourth with Levanga Hokkaido, is enjoying perhaps the best campaign of his B.League career after averaging career highs (13.2 points, 3.1 rebounds) while helping Hokkaido begin the season at 14–4.

Meanwhile, Ravena, in his second season with Yokohama B-Corsairs, has contributed 10.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists in 18 games this year.

For Lopez, having veterans like Ramos and Ravena there as mentors means more than just basketball advice, it’s guidance on how to navigate life in a different country, how to deal with the ups and downs of a long professional season.

“They just say that you have to move on and can’t dwell on the last game,” he shared.

Despite coming off the bench for much of the season, Lopez has shown flashes of his potential after averaging 7.4 points and 3.5 rebounds in 18 minutes per game for a struggling 6–12 Nagoya squad.

His biggest highlight so far came on November 2, when he erupted for a career-high 27 points and seven rebounds in a loss to defending champions Utsunomiya Brex.

Lopez admits that he isn’t a locked-in starter yet, but the presence of Ramos and Ravena and their willingness to guide him has made a world of difference in his rookie campaign. 

“Sometimes I have bad games and tend to feel down, but they just tell me I have to move on,” he said.

With the B.LEAGUE currently on a break for the upcoming FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Nagoya will resume action on December 6 against the Sendai 89ers.  

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