NEW HOPES FOR EXPRESS, BATANG PIER
AIR21 and GlobalPort did not get off to the kind of start they wanted for the season.
There’s still enough time for redemption, however, and the Express and Batang Pier have that exactly in mind when they kick off the PBA Commissioner’s Cup action Wednesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
More so for Air21, which wound up 10th and last in the Philippine Cup, marking the second straight conference where it failed to get past the eliminations.
GlobalPort was just slightly better off after a seventh place finish, but got disposed off in just one game by Rain or Shine in the quarterfinals.
The teams’ managements did some tinkering with their respective lineups to steady up their campaign, especially in this sprint-like conference which has the top eight advancing to the quarterfinals following the nine-game eliminations.
Air21 now has new acquisitions Jonas Villanueva, Sean Anthony and Eliud Poligrates to make up for the departure of leading scorer Nino “KG” Canaleta. Anthony, however, is nursing a fractured hand he suffered in practice and will have to sit it out for four weeks.
The Express have also tapped Herve Lamizana as reinforcement. The presence of the Ivory Coast native, officially measured at 6-foot-8 ½, gives the Bert Lina-owned franchise another option inside aside from chief inside operators Asi Taulava, Vic Manuel and Carlo Sharma.
The departure of Canaleta also prompts coach Franz Pumaren to spread out the burden of scoring mostly on the shoulders of Macmac Cardona, Joseph Yeo, Wynne Arboleda and Ronnie Matias with the hopes their outside snipings would stretch the defense.
Sharing the microscope is GlobalPort, which not only traded away ace playmaker Sol Mercado but also has a new coach in Pido Jarencio.
New acquisitions Alex Cabagnot and Bonbon Custodio will now be manning the backcourt for the Batang Pier with Terrence Romeo and RR Garcia as main mates.
Eric Menk is nursing a hamstring injury, but Jay Washington has recovered from the foot injury that sidelined him in the late stages of the Philippine Cup and will be a huge inside threat along with Jondan Salvador and Kelly Nabong.
GlobalPort has also tapped Evan Brock, who suited up for Barako Bull in the same conference last season, as import in the hopes his versatile ways will rub off on his new teammates and fuel Jarencio’s preferred up-tempo style of play.
Following a couple of tuneup games and intense practices, Jarencio has ample reason to be upbeat. “Lahat excited for tomorrow’s game,” he said. (NC)
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