By Michael Angelo S. Murillo
Senior Reporter

LAST conference’s finals protagonists San Miguel Beermen and TNT KaTropa begin their Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup journey as they make their tournament debut today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Both coming off stints at the East Asian Super League Terrific 12 tournament in Macau, the Beermen, the Commissioner’s Cup champions, and the KaTropa now channel their focus on doing well in the season-ending PBA conference.

San Miguel begins its campaign against the Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters (0-1) in the 7 p.m. main game with TNT taking on the also-debuting Blackwater Elite at the 4:30 p.m. opener.

The Beermen are out to claim another rare grand slam in their franchise history after winning the first two conferences this season.

To help San Miguel in its push, it has brought in import Dez Wells for the Governors’ Cup.

Mr. Wells, who played collegiate basketball at the University of Maryland, impressed with his play for the Beermen in the Terrific 12, and eyes are now on him if he would be able to lead San Miguel to the grand slam.

The Beermen had a chance to win the rare league feat back in 2017 but fell short in the same conference. They won the grand slam in 1989.

“I think Dez Wells can help us. He is a two-way player who gives us hustle and energy,” said San Miguel coach Leo Austria in the lead-up to the Governors’ Cup.

Mr. Wells will be joining an already-seasoned team which includes five-time league most valuable player June Mar Fajardo, Chris Ross, Alex Cabagnot, Marcio Lassiter, Arwind Santos, Terrence Romeo and Christian Standhardinger.

First to test the Beermen are the Fuel Masters, who got tripped in their Governors’ Cup debut, 123-116, by the NLEX Road Warriors on Sept. 21.

Phoenix competed in said game but just could not keep in step with NLEX when it needed to down the stretch.

Import Eugene Phelps led the Fuel Masters with 38 points and 10 rebounds and Matthew Wright had 24 points.

As a team though, Phoenix allowed NLEX to shoot at an efficient rate of 52% and saw six Road Warriors score at least 10 points or more.

It was something not lost to Phoenix coach Louie Alas.

“We gave up 52% field goal, 47% from the three-points. How can you win (with) that? I told them that’s not the identity we want to have here. If we want to win we have to play defense and not just shoot it out with our opponents. There are a lot of explosive teams out there,” said a disappointed Alas after their game.

TNT KATROPA
Meanwhile, TNT begins its bounce back bid after losing to San Miguel in the finals of the Commissioner’s Cup.

The KaTropa will be bannered by import KJ McDaniels, a former National Basketball Association campaigner with stops in Philadelphia, Houston and Brooklyn.

He is set to join forces with TNT mainstays led by Jayson Castro, Troy Rosario and Roger Pogoy.

They are to take on first Blackwater, led by former TNT reinforcement and champion PBA import (with San Mig Coffee) Marqus Blakely.

The Elite finished third in the elimination round of the Commissioner’s Cup before bowing out in the quarterfinals.

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