THE sudden break in the 2021 PBA Governors Cup following the surge in COVID-19 cases gives Blackwater the time to break in new import Shawn Glover to the team system.
Glover, 31, arrived in the country just before New Year and is expected to finish his mandatory quarantine within the week.
That should give him time to get familiar with the rest of the Bossing, although team practices are limited to small groups with no scrimmages after the National Capital Region (NCR) and nearby provinces were placed under Alert Level 3 starting on Monday due to the continuous rise of COVID-19 cases.
He hasn’t personally met the rest of the team except the strength and conditioning coach through a number of Zoom meetings.
Had the resumption of the season-ending conference proceeded as scheduled on Jan. 5, the Bossing were to play unbeaten Magnolia Hotshots right away at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The new Blackwater import is coming in to replace the injured Jaylen Bond, who aggravated his groin injury in the team’s last game against Alaska on Dec. 22.
Glover in game shape
Coach Ariel Vanguardia said Glover is coming over still in game shape after opting out of his contract with KR Basket in the Men’s Premier League in Iceland.
“He’s in game shape kasi he was playing in Iceland when he decided to come over,” said the Bossing coach.
Glover is a known scorer, which Vanguardia said is what Blackwater needs now with injuries hounding key players Jvee Casio, Baser Amer, Kelly Nabong, and even rookie guard Joshua Torralba.
“Scorer siya, although he’s not a center. He plays the 4 and 3 positions,” added Vanguardia.
If not for the injury, the Bossing mentor also believes Bond could have helped the cause of the team, which is currently mired at the bottom of the standings with a 0-5 record.
Prior to accepting the Blackwater offer, Bond just came from a championship stint in Dubai.
“The long layoff affected his shape,” said Vanguardia of Bond’s current health condition.
The 28-year-old Bond is still in the country though.
“Nagpapagaling pa siya nung groin injury niya. Jan. 10 is his scheduled departure,” said Vanguardia.
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