RELIVING THE GLORY DAYS
Back as the San Miguel Beermen for the Commissioner’s Cup, the flagship franchise of the San Miguel Corp. group is tasked with the tall order of reclaiming its former glory. And as the Beermen embark on this new journey, new coach Biboy Ravanes will have his hands full in the coming conference. To start it all off, changes were made.
San Miguel now has Sol Mercado and Rico Maierhofer in its camp, but its most notable addition, for this conference at least, is import Josh Boone.
“Feeling namin siya yung babagay kay Arwind (Santos) at June Mar (Fajardo),” Ravanes said. “They can complement each other’s game.”
“Hindi sya talaga yung tipong go-to-guy. He just wants to work hard. Parang role player who can get all those rebounds, and play defense. Di namin talaga kailangan ng shooter kasi madami na kami, so parang perfect fit sya sa amin.”
Boone, a four-year NBA veteran, had his first practice with the Beermen on Saturday.
With Fajardo fresh from being minted as the Philippine Cup’s Best Player of the Conference, Ravanes and the whole coaching staff believe that the moves they have done in the off-season can plug the holes they had the last time out and can reinforce the imposing front court they already have.
“With the new acquisitions, sa tingin namin yun ang kulang eh. Kung ma-remember namin yung games namin, parang hirap kami maka-finish. Sa end game, nawawala,” he said. “The additions of Sol and Rico, malaking factor yun. Important sa amin na when the going gets tough, may magle-lead sa team inside the court, especially for Sol. Yun ang factor kaya kinuha namin sya. Iba siya kay Alex (Cabagnot). Magaling siya, pero we felt mas good fit sa amin ngayon si Sol.”
Ravanes admitted that reverting back to its old name also comes with the high expectations of reliving the glory days the franchise once had.
“Actually, kahit ano ang pangalan ng team, the pressure is always there. Mas dagdag lang kasi San Miguel is the flagship. They’re expecting us to lead,” Ravanes said, who also donned the Beermen jersey in his playing years.
“On my end, I’ll just do my job and stay focused. May pressure talaga, but we’re hoping for no less than the championship.” (RL)
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
