RJ Abarrientos and Juan Gomez De Liano playing together in one team?
Count on the coming PBA All-Star Weekend to make that happen.
The two players who faced off in the recent PBA Philippine Cup semifinals between Barangay Ginebra and Converge, were voted by fans to lead the Rookies-Sophomore team out to battle the Juniors’ squad in the side event of the Season 50 All-Star game.
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Abarrientos emerged with the most number of votes among first and second year players with 42,862 followed by Converge big man Justine Baltazar with 38,022 and De Liano with 37,802.
Rain or Shine’s Adrian Nocum meanwhile, led the Juniors’ squad vote-getters with 38,710 for the March 6-8 festivities in Candon City, Ilocos Sur.
The league was supposed to bring back the Rookies-Sophomores vs Juniors format in last year’s All-Star weekend in Davao, only to be cancelled at the last minute due to security reasons as it was scheduled a week before the mid-term elections.
The last time the set-up was used as appetizer to the All-Star game was in the 2019 edition of the mid-season spectacle in Calasiao, Pangasinan.
The Rookies-Sophomores won it, 141-140 on a game-winning putback by Jvee Mocon.
With Abarrientos and Gomez De Liano in the Rookies-Sophomores team (with their corresponding votes) are Blackwater’s Sedrick Barefield (32,246), Magnolia’s Jerom Lastimosa (31,208), Caelan Tiongson of Rain or Shine (30,840), Kai Ballungay of Phoenix (28,466), Meralco’s CJ Cansino (28,094), Sonny Estil of Ginebra (24,026), Blackwater’s Dalph Panopio (23,136), Terrafirma’s Mark Nonoy (20,498) and Felix Lemetti of Rain or Shine (19,890).
Joining Nocum in the Juniors’ side are Ricci Rivero of Phoenix (38,020), Holt (35,584), Magnolia’s Zavier Lucero (35,120), Meralco’s Brandon Bates (28,008), Ralph Cu of Ginebra (27,806), Blackwater’s Christian David (25,852), TNT’s Kim Aurin (25,142), Titan’s Fran Yu (23,602), Kenneth Tuffin of Phoenix (25,576), Deschon Winston of Converge (21,412), and Cade Flores of Titan (20,370).
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