RICARDO Ratliffe will finally have his long-awaited reunion with the Purefoods franchise.
The American import and naturalized player of the Korean men's basketball team returns to the PBA to reinforce Magnolia to the mid-season Commissioner's Cup.
Coach Chito Victolero confirmed Ratliffe's signing to SPIN.ph during the Mapua-Emilio Aguinaldo College game in the NCAA Season 100 on Tuesday.
Ratliffe, who took on the name Ra Gun-ah in Korea, retired from the country's national team early in this year.
Victolero is a former Cardinals star and once served as coach of his alma mater.
The 35-year-old Ratliffe, according to Victolero, is arriving in the country on Oct. 26, or about a month before the new conference begins.
The four-time Korean Basketball League (KBL) champion first played for the Hotshots (then carrying the Star banner) during the 2016 Commissioner's Cup as a replacement for Denzel Bowles.
The team barely made the playoffs as the eigtht seeded team, but dragged the San Miguel Beermen to a sudden-death - the Hotshots needed to win twice in the playoffs - before losing a close game, 103-99.
Ratliffe returned a year later in the same conference where he guided the Hotshots to the semifinals, only to lose again at the hands of San Miguel in the bets-of-five series, 3-1.
His inside presence and rebounding prowess had him being a major prospect as naturalized player for Gilas Pilipinas, although nothing came out of the plan before brought his act to the KBL, where he eventually became the country's naturalized player and suited up for the team during the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
His last stint was with the KBL team Jeonju-Busan KCC Egis.
Victolero is pinning his hopes the early arrival of Ratliffe won't reflicate the import woes Magnolia suffered in its recent campaign in the Governors' Cup.
The Hotshots initially brought in former NBA slam dunk champion Glenn Robinson III, before replacing him with another ex-NBA player in Shabazz Muhammad.
But an injury to Muhammad late in the group stage forced management to bring in a new import in Reyvonte Rice, who unfortunately, didn't impress in the two games he played for the team, including a playoff appearance against Rain or Shine.
The Hotshots eventually settled for former Boston Celtic Jabari Bird, but the Hotshots failed to advance past the quarterfinals after losing to the Elasto Painters in their sudden-death Game 5.
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