After his commitment with the Philippine Patriots in the ABL, the 6-foot-5 Gabe Freeman will join SMB’s practice. The high-flying 24-year ol, helped the Beermen win the Fiesta Cup last season in a thrilling seven-game series against the Ginebra Kings.

Defending Fiesta Cup champion San Miguel Beer and Rain or Shine will bring back their respective imports for the reinforced conference tentatively set March 21.

The Beermen has tapped 2009 Best Import winner Gabe Freeman, while the Elasto Painters will rely anew on the wide-bodied Jai Lewis.

Freeman is currently playing for the RP Patriots where they are playing in the finals of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) against Indonesia’s Satri Muda BritAma.

The 6-foot-6 Lewis, who helped Terry Que-Raymund Yu owned team to its first-ever Final Four appearance in the Fiesta Cup but lost to Barangay Ginebra in six games, is expected to arrive next week.

Rain or Shine mentor Caloy Garcia said that Lewis, who will turn 28 on February 13, is a perfect fit to the team as they lack heft and height to their frontline, saying: “He was a big help in the last Fiesta Cup, and we’re positive that he can help us again as we aspire for a playoff spot.”

They need to beef up their frontline since some of their big men played poorly during their quarterfinal series with Purefoods.

Lewis averaged 20.3 points per game, highlighted by a 40-point performance in the classification round, with 15.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 1.1 shot blocks last conference.

Rain or Shine survived two knockout games in the wildcard of the Philippine Cup to enter the quarterfinals.

In Game 5, however, the Giants proved to be steadier down the stretch to score an 85-95 win. Que said that despite the setback, he and Yu are proud of the team’s accomplishment.

“Imagine we were seeded No. 9, and we almost made it to the semifinals. We’re happy with what the team has achieved. Now we’re looking forward to the Fiesta Cup,“ Que said.

“We really have to work hard as a team so at the end of the conference, we can evaluate their performance,” said Yu.

After his commitment with the Patriots, the high-flying, 6-foot-5 Freeman will join SMB’s practice.

Freeman, 24, helped the Beermen win the Fiesta Cup last season in a thrilling seven-game series against the Ginebra Kings.

A replacement after San Miguel’s first import was sent home because of lack of documentations, Freemen went on to average 23 points through 24 games, including a game-high 40 points in his first game with 15.5 points and 1.3 steals and 1.6 assists.

The teams are allowed to get one import with a height limit of 6-foot-6 in the Fiesta Cup.