WILL the Torren Jones-Jabari Narcis tandem work wonders for San Miguel?
In the hands of these two imports rest the fate of the Beermen in the East Asia Super League (EASL) Home and Away Season 2 where they stare at a do-or-die situation Wednesday night in Japan against the Hiroshima Dragonflies.
The crucial game against the reigning B.League champions is set at 6:10 p.m. at the Hiroshima Sun Plaza with the PBA side needing a win in a bid to stay alive in the race for a Final Four berth.
READ Coach Leo explains why San Miguel let go of Quincy Miller
The Beermen are winless in three games in Group A, where the Dragonflies sit on top with a 3-1 slate in a tie with the Taoyuan Pauin Pilots.
How Jones and Narcis, who replaced Quincy Miller, team up and work together will be crucial for San Miguel, which lost its last outing against Eastern, 71-62, on the road last Dec. 18.
The Beermen had different import tandems in their previous games, initially parading Miller and EJ Anosike before teaming up Miller with Jones in the loss to Eastern.
Coach Leo Austria felt that size-wise, San Miguel could compete with the Dragonflies, who rely on the duo of Kerry Blackshear Jr and Dwayne Evans II.
“Jabari is bigger than Torren. And we felt that with consultation from everybody, they believed that Jabari could help with his size,” said the San Miguel coach.
Narcis though, has yet to winin the two games he played in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup as SMB's import.
Big man June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez, and Marcio Lassiter are again expected to lead the local charge for San Miguel, which unfortunately, will be missing guard Don Trollano, who is out with a shoulder injury.
But the Beermen could find a tough customer in the Dragonflies, whose lone loss so far came at the hands of Suwon KT Sonicboom, 80-78, last Dec. 4 in South Korea,
In its last outing, Hiroshima dealt the previously undefeated Pilots an 84-73 beating on Christmas Day at the Taoyuan Arena in Chinese Taipei to forge a two-way tie at No. 1 in Group A.
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