BEERMEN START HUNT FOR SEASON’S 2ND JEWEL
The quest for something that at the moment is still beyond what their eyes could see begins for PBA Philippine Cup champion San Miguel Beer.
Having nailed the first gem of a projected Triple Crown finish, the Beermen kick off their bid for the second jewel when they take on winless Kia Carnival Wednesday in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup debut at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Gametime is at 4:15 p.m., with Manny Pacquiao’s Carnival eyeing their first win after two losses.
Otherwise known as the Grand Slam, a feat where a PBA ballclub wins all three conferences in one season, the rare milestone has been reached by only four teams, twice by the legendary Crispa Redmanizers (1976 and 1983).
San Miguel has won it before in 1989 when the roster boasted off names like Ramon Fernandez, Ricardo Brown, Hector Calma and Samboy Lim, and two more teams – Alaska and Purefoods, both handled by Tim Cone – bagged the ‘Slam in 1996 and 2014, respectively.
The latest-edition Beermen, with June Mar Fajardo, Arwind Santos, Alex Cabagnot and Marcio Lassiter, may not have the pedigree of their illustrious predecessors but by virtue of their capturing the first conference, all eyes will be on the bull’s-eye behind their backs.
Santos, after SMB beat Alaska in a dramatic Game 7 in the Philippine Cup Finals, has spoken about the possibility of winning a Grand Slam during their time and their journey rolls off the harbor against an opponent that is without its heart and soul.
Kia, despite the presence of the 7-foot-3 PJ Ramos, shouldn’t be much of a mountain to scale for the Beermen in the absence of the Carnivals’ world renowned playing-coach.
Pacquiao, the eight-division boxing champion, isn’t due for at least a week and without his presence and encouraging words, the Carnival will be hard-pressed to find the motivation to go after one of the league’s powerhouse teams.
“We’re excited to start our bid for another title,” said SMB coach Leo Austria, who earned a PBA championship on his very first conference with the food and beverage conglomerate.
“Well, hopefully we can sustain the momentum and the success from our last championship. We know that aiming for a second straight title is not easy, but we’ll try our very best.”
SMB will be pinning its hopes on Ronald Roberts after its first choice for import, Nigerian Arinze Onuaku, made himself unavailable as he awaits a call from the NBA.
The 6-foot-8 Roberts, a product of Saint Joseph’s University, played for the Philadelphia 76ers during the NBA Summer League after going undrafted in the previous NBA Rookie Draft. He was waived however after signing a contract in late September.
At 23, Roberts played just two games for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA D-League, averaging 8.8 points and 5.8 rebounds, before he got the call from SMB. He flew in last Sunday.
“He can play the 3-4-5 positions (small forward, power forward and center). He’s adjusting well to our system in our practice, but we’ll see in the game against Kia,” said Austria.
Kia has dropped its first two games, 100-89 to GlobalPort and 90-80 to Meralco.
Ramos has been averaging a league-best 37.5 points and 20.5 rebounds but suffers heavily from the absence of reliable local support. (WJRHT)
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