A VERY GOOD TRIANGLE BIG MAN
Being the earliest among the current batch of imports to set foot in the country, James Mays already has familiarized himself with Filipino customs. And it bears no surprise that it’s no less than San Mig Super Coffee coach Tim Cone who handpicked him to be the reinforcement for the Mixers in the Commissioner’s Cup.
“(Coach Tim) has a real knack in picking the perfect import for us,” said assistant coach Jeffrey Cariaso.
Cariaso is calling the shots in the San Mig practice, as Cone and the starting five are getting themselves a much-needed break. He is tasked to oversee the team’s chemistry in the meantime.
“He’s a guy who fits in our system. He can do a little bit of everything, and he is very strong inside,” Cariaso said. “He’s a good triangle big guy and that’s the main reason why we picked him up.”
“He’s really strong inside. Right now, his legs are a little tired so he’s not finishing normally as he does, but he’s really a strong inside presence and he can pop the 10 to 15-foot jump shot whenever we need him to,” he added.
Mays only played his second tuneup game for the Coffee Mixers against Ginebra on Monday, and the coaching staff feels that a little time is still needed to get their wheels going for the second conference.
“It’s really hard to get him to the flow, lalo na nung Finals, kasi we weren’t really practicing that hard. But so far, so good. I’m really happy with our transitioning,” Cariaso said. “(Mays) is a team player. He’s trying to get his legs back, the same with his conditioning and little bit better, but he’ll be ok.”
Missing Finals MVP Mark Barroca, Marc Pingris, James Yap, Peter June Simon, and Joe Devance in their initial practice sessions, Cariaso is just trying to get the team going, saying, “We just try to get better, and prepare James for the conference, same with the reserves so they will be ready when we need them.” (RL)
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