Japeth, Kelly and other PBA Finals updates
THERE is still no target date for the return of Ginebra’s Japeth Aguilar and TNT’s Kelly Williams.
Aguilar is recovering from an MCL injury in the left knee, while Williams is out with a calf injury.
Training is expected to continue through the Holy Week for the Tropang Giga and Gin Kings with Game One of the best-of-seven Finals set to start on Easter Sunday.
“For us that’s a no-brainer. Even on a Good Friday, we’ll find a way to practice on a Good Friday,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.
Meanwhile, the pool of referees for the Governors’ Cup Finals will be composed of 10 to 12 officials, down by half from the start of the conference.
PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial said the technical committee has been monitoring the game officiating and started to trim the pool in the quarterfinals.
Gilas gears up
SEVENTEEN members of the 28-man Philippine men’s basketball pool for the Southeast Asian Games attended first practice on Monday.
Meralco’s Chris Newsome and Aaron Black, NLEX’s Kevin Alas and Brandon Rosser, San Miguel’s Marcio Lassiter, and NorthPort’s Arvin Tolentino led the players at first training as the Philippines prepares to regain the title after placing second in the 2022 SEAG in Hanoi.
Although preparing for the PBA Finals, there were TNT and Ginebra players who showed at up the Meralco gym in Pasig. Naturalized Filipino Justin Brownlee, Scottie Thompson, Japeth Aguilar, Christian Standhardinger, Jamie Malonzo and Jeremiah Gray were at the venue, along with TNT’s Roger Pogoy and Calvin Oftana.
Mason Amos and brothers Michael and Ben Phillips also attended practice, while also at the training venue was NLEX’s Fil-Canadian forward Sean Anthony.
Absent were San Miguel’s June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez and Chris Ross, TNT’s Mikey Williams and Poy Erram, Ginebra’s Stanley Pringle and Meralco’s Raymond Almazan. Cyprus-born Filipino-Nigerian AJ Edu was also not present, along with La Salle’s Schonny Winston and Kevin Quiambao, and Adamson’s Jerom Lastimosa
Indonesia beefs up squad for SEAG title defense
AS the Philippines gears up for redemption, Indonesia is stepping up efforts in its title-retention bid in the Southeast Asia Games basketball competition.
As Gilas added firepower by enlisting naturalized Filipino Justin Brownlee, the Indonesians are expected to field Anthony Beane in the Cambodia Games set in May.
The 28-year-old from Missouri played mostly in Europe after suiting up for Southern Illinois and was brought in by the Indonesia Patriots in their domestic league last January.
Naturalized Indonesian Marques Bolden, a member of the team that won the SEAG basketball title in Hanoi, suffered a shoulder injury while playing for the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League and was waived last month.
Dominican-born Lester Prosper, a naturalized Indonesian citizen and a former PBA import, did not see action in the Hanoi Games.
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