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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider Big guns Phoenix, Ginebra begin all-Filipino quest

Big guns Phoenix, Ginebra begin all-Filipino quest

Published Mar 8, 2024 02:35 am

At A Glance

  • Last conference semifinalists Phoenix and Barangay Ginebra open their respective campaigns in the 2024 Philippine Cup against separate foes at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday, March 8.

Here come the big guns.

Last conference semifinalists Phoenix and Barangay Ginebra open their respective campaigns in the 2024 Philippine Cup against separate foes at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday, March 8.

The Fuel Masters hope to carry the momentum from their surprise Final Four appearance last conference as they gun for a winning start against the NorthPort Batang Pier in the first offering at 4:30 p.m.

The same could also be said about the Kings, who, on the other hand, aim to kick off their all-Filipino conference on a good note against a still winless but dangerous Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the 7:30 p.m. nightcap.

Phoenix head coach Jamike Jarin kept his team intact although much of the load now falls on the shoulders of his frontline in Jason Perkins, Raul Soyud and Larry Muyang since they don’t anymore have the presence of last conference’s best import Johnathan Williams.

The Fuel Masters though certainly have the talent to possibly repeat the run especially now that their young guns led by Tyler Tio along with Ricci Rivero and Ken Tuffin have playoff experiences under their belts.

Standing in their way though are the Batang Pier who, likewise, boast a versatile cast with the addition of Will Navarro and Zav Lucero in the lineup and built around league-leading scorer Arvin Tolentino.

Meanwhile, Ginebra head coach Tim Cone will be looking at his usual suspects in Scottie Thompson and Christian Standhardinger to once again lead the charge for the team.

The Kings should be eager to pick up their first win in hopes of erasing the bitter taste of their semifinals sweep last conference at the hands of eventual champions San Miguel Beermen.

The two will still have their formidable supporting cast that featured Jamie Malonzo, Maverick Ahanmisi and veterans LA Tenorio and Japeth Aguilar.

Rain or Shine, however, aims to give Ginebra a rude welcome as it is also raring to finally bag the elusive first win after suffering two narrow losses against TNT and Meralco in its first two assignments.

The Elasto Painters displayed a semblance of their oozing young talent with Santi Santillan and Adrian Nocum providing big numbers. They, however, will need more from the rest of the crew particularly Keith Datu and Andrei Caracut, both of whom a huge part of Rain or Shine’s resurgence last conference when it closed out the eliminations with six straight victories.

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