With right import, SMB will keep the fire burning in Commissioner’s Cup

REDEMPTION, more than a chance to grab a second jewel in the PBA’s 50th season, will keep the fire burning for Philippine Cup kingpin San Miguel Beermen (SMB) in the coming Commissioner’s Cup wars.

The Beermen were a big letdown in the previous staging of the Commissioner’s Cup, bungling their title defense big-time and even failing to get past the elimination round altogether with a woeful 5-7 record.

“Sometimes it will depend on the kind of import that we would get. And I hope na this coming conference, the import that we will get will fit to our system,” said coach Leo Austria.

Import woes contributed significantly to SMB’s downfall in the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup.

With Bennie Boatwright, the reinforcement that led them to the title in the previous edition, sidelined by injury, the Beermen tried out four different imports in Quincy Miller, Torren Jones, Jabari Narcis and Malik Pope. They wound up 10th overall in that campaign.

Mr. Boatwright is high on the list of candidates for the tournament kicking off on March 11 but the Gilas Pilipinas naturalization prospect is tied up with the Daegu Kogas Pegasus in the ongoing Korean league.

“We’re in constant communication but the problem with him (Mr. Boatwright) is the eliminations in Korea will last until April 8. And we will start in March 11. So probably he will miss at least four games (in the Commissioner’s Cup),” said Mr. Austria.

Mr. Austria will be seeking to steer SMB to its third consecutive conference title since returning to the helm in the middle of in the Season 49 Commissioner’s Cup elims. — Olmin Leyba