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SERVICES
THE INQUIRER COMPANY
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04
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19
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2024
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SERVICES
THE INQUIRER COMPANY
04
19
2024
The Star Hotshots and the Meralco Bolts, with their marquee reinforcements, could well provide an explosive start in the 2016 PBA Commissioner’s Cup that fires off Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Hotshots and the Bolts clash at 7 p.m. in an exciting matchup featuring highly touted imports Denzel Bowles and Arinze Onuaku.
Bowles is already well known to PBA fans, having his previous tours of duty with the Hotshots, including in the 2012 Commissioner’s Cup that they won over the TNT Tropang Texters.
Onuaku’s name rings a bell as San Miguel Beer tried to bring him over in the country last year.
This time, Onuaku is coming over curiously just as a replacement to Malcolm Thomas who got hurt in practice.
The Syracuse U alum will be barely introduced to his Meralco teammates when they take on the Star Hotshots. He’s flying in only on Tuesday.
“The team has been working hard so that we can get off to a good start. But we had a recent setback when our (original) import (Malcom Thomas) hurt his right knee and was ruled out to play,” said Meralco coach Norman Black.
“Despite the lack of preparation with Arinze, we will be out there fighting,” Black added.
Onuaku, 28, has built a reputation as a solid inside presence in the NBA D-League where he carved a niche in being a three-time All-Star, a one-time all NBA D-League second team selection and one-time third-team selection.
He’s also played a total of 11 games with the New Orleans Pelicans, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the NBA.
In 2014, Onuaku averaged monster numbers of 28.6 points and 14.8 rebounds with the Chongqing Flying Dragons in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Bowles and Onuaku are familiar to one another, with both having their NBA D-League and CBA stints.
With health woes and tough breaks, the Bolts finished dead last in the recent Philippine Cup with only a
single win against 10 losses. Six of those defeats, however, were only by four points or less.
And, curiously, the Bolts’ lone win came at the expense of the Star Hotshots, 87-83.
The Hotshots are bringing back Bowles as they try to redeem themselves from their poor ninth-place finish in the last conference.
Expectations are high the Hotshots will improve on their second conference under coach Jason Webb.
“The talent in that team is there. Basically, it’s just a matter of getting used to their new coach and new system. Once they settle down, the ability and the potential of the team will come out. The first conference was just feeling out. They can now be judged on their true worth,” said Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao.
A conference removed under the tutelage of Cone, the Hotshots barely made the playoff play last conference and didn’t go deep, eliminated by the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the quarters.
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