PBA Season 42 Preview: Barangay Ginebra San Miguel
Coming off a morale boosting conquest in the 2016 Commissioner’s Cup, Ginebra is eyeing to prove that its title win isn’t going to be a one-off.
And for coach Tim Cone, doing so entails continuity, starting with bringing an intact lineup to the 2017 Philippine Cup.
“You want to come back as intact as you can. You want to come back, at least, with your core intact to give them a chance to win again. Why change a good thing?,” the two-time Grand Slam-winning coach said.
Luckily, he will get his wish and more.
Though the Gin Kings will still miss Greg Slaughter, who is recovering from an ACL injury, Cone will still have his core players bannered by LA Tenorio, Japeth Aguilar, Sol Mercado, and Joe Devance.
He will also enjoy a nice mix of veterans and upstarts, with cornerstones Mark Caguioa and Jayjay Helterbrand eyeing one more dream run this year and Scottie Thompson taking on a bigger role with in his season second.
Also joining them are rookie Kevin Ferrer and new acquisition Paolo Taha, who are expected to bolster the team’s wing, and neophyte big man Jammer Jamito.
Cone believes that with the team’s confidence at an all-time high, things could only get better for Ginebra.
“We just won a championship and we feel really good about it,” he said. “We like our chances, so we hope to sustain it this season.”
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