RAJKO Toroman said negotiations with NBA veteran Othyus Jeffers have bogged down, forcing Barako Bull to tap former Rio Grande Vipers forward Mike Singletary to reinforce the team during its campaign in the Dubai International Basketball Championship on May 16.
The 6-5 Singletary went undrafted in the 2011 NBA draft and found his way to the D-League where he averaged 10 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 49 games for the Vipers.
Toroman, who is entering his second conference with the team as consultant/ coach, said the Dubai tilt will serve as test for the 24-year-old Singletary since he’ll be going up against Asian squads with two imports.
“He’s (Singletary) a young kid but he played well with the Rio Grande Vipers in the NBA D-League. Now, the Dubai tournament will be a test for him because all other teams are fielding in two imports,” Toroman told Spin.ph on Monday.
Barako Bull began its practice last May 2, though several players have yet to join the team due to various injuries. The Serbian mentor said forward JC Intal has a sprained ankle he sustained in the PBA All-Star Week, while Sean Anthony is still recuperating from an Achilles heel injury.
Club teams from Lebanon, United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Qatar and Libya have confirmed their participation in the Dubai tournament.
“We expect some of our new guys to really get a lot of minutes so they could gain more experience playing internationally,” he added.
Barako Bull has started putting the pieces together after trading Josh Urbiztondo to Barangay Ginebra two weeks ago in exchange for rookie Fil-am forward Keith Jensen and a future draft pick.
“We lost the team’s best scorer, but this is also an opportunity for Eman Monfort to get experience and play extended minutes. Guys like Doug Kramer, Allein Maliksi and Jonas Villanueva will also get a lot of minutes here together with our new import,” he added.
The Energy Cola failed to qualify for the playoffs in the Philippine Cup and the Commissioner’s Cup. They placed ninth in both conferences.
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