CHICAGO - Marc Pingris is PBA royalty, nine-time champ and 15-time All-Star.
The idea that he will attempt to recreate some of his hardcourt heroics is fabulously titillating.
Still fit at age 41, Marc appears physically ready to tackle two mortal enemies that have slain so many great athletes: the ravages of time and the forces of gravity.
READ: Marc Pingris in talks with Blackwater for PBA comeback
But Blackwater head coach Jeff Cariaso shot down the notion of Pingris returning to the scene of his greatest conquests as a player.
"We are very interested in bringing Ping to Blackwater as an assistant coach, specifically a coach for our bigs. It's not official yet but we hope soon we can work something out with him.
"His experience alone will be of great value to our team and he'll help improve the culture we are instilling," coach Jeff told me via text message.
Talk about bursting my Friday bubble. Still, the idea of Pingris in a suit instead of shorts, holding a clipboard in lieu of a Molten ball are sights for sore eyes. Legends roaming the sidelines is good for the PBA.
But why would a brand such as Marc Pingris attach his name to a proven loser that once had an epic 29-game losing streak in the league?
I KNOW IT AIN'T THE MONEY. I'M TOLD THAT MARC, A GIFTED ENTREPRENEUR, HAS MORE CASH THAN HE CAN IMAGINE SPENDING.
It ain't the spotlight, either. Pingris had always been low-key, shy to a fault, almost. And even if he craved it, he could just go on to showbiz where his good looks and towering presence will send the paparazzi on full-court press mode.
So why Blackwater, of all places?
I call it the Jeffrey Cariaso effect.
Since his ascension to the top coaching post last April, the Bossing appear to be in the midst of some sort of a renaissance phase where winning is now paramount.
With a prior history of trading away their best assets, Blackwater's management assured Cariaso that the team will keep its No. 2 pick as a foundational piece.
If the Bossing keep the promise to turn around a sinking ship, Cariaso is the best captain for the voyage.
Since retiring in 2010, the 51-year old former All-Star now has nearly a decade of bench experience. One of the PBA's greatest players, he has more rings than the Olympic logo. Those credentials bring instant credibility.
Hopefully, the Cariaso-Blackwater collab is the beginning of a new era for the franchise.
FASTBREAK. With this past hurts - two ACL tears, multiple sources told me - I asked coach Jeff if he had any reservations picking the 6-foot-6, 225-pound Christian David at No.2.
"We are very blessed to have Christian David with us. Yes, we are well aware of his past injuries and trust me when I say we did our due diligence before choosing him at No.2.
"Of course, there were a few guys who we took into consideration, but in the end, we felt that David was what we needed."
Hard to disagree.
David played injury-free in his last two seasons at Butler in the US NCAA where he acquitted himself well.
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