WITHERSPOON DEBUTS AS EXPRESS FACE BOLTS
Air21 hopes to salvage its campaign in the 2014 PLDT Home TVolution PBA Commissioner’s Cup with a new reinforcement in Wesley Witherspoon when it takes on Meralco Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Witherspoon will be replacing Herve Lamizana, who averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds and 3.8 blocks for the Express as he carried the team to an even 2-2 slate.
Lamizana’s numbers aren’t quite good enough as Air21 coach Franz Pumaren bared that one of the factors for his ouster was his lack of offensive production, not to mention his lack of conditioning when he first arrived in the country.
“We’re playing in an import-laced conference,” Pumaren said. “Sabi ko nga kay Lamizana, you have to outplay the other imports or at least compete with them.”
Pumaren, though, hopes to get a more productive import in the 6-foot-9 Witherspoon, who has been described as a scorer.
Game time is set at 3 p.m.
For their part, the Bolts are looking to bounce back from a 91-68 rout at the hands of Talk ‘N Text last Friday.
Expected to go head-to-head against Witherspoon is the hulking Brian Butch, who has posed problems for the opposition this conference.
In their last game, however, the shooting big man from Wisconsin failed to score in the second and fourth quarters, raising issues regarding pacing.
“I’ve got to be a little more productive for the whole game. I play with so much energy and people have realized that I’ve got to do that for the whole 48 minutes,” Butch said. “For the last couple of games, I’ve been able to do it. Unfortunately tonight, I couldn’t. I’ve got to do a better job. We’ve got to do a better job as a team.” (RL)
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