Alaska taps ex-Mexico State star as import for Governors Cup

MANILA, Philippines – Alaska Milk brings in as import former New Mexico State star Wendell McKines as the Uytengsu franchise chases a second straight title in the PBA Governors Cup set to start Aug. 14 or after the country’s hosting of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship.

Alaska owner Wilfred Steven Uytengsu has said they will not sit on their laurels just with their Commissioner’s Cup title conquest, seeing great potential in his new bunch of players and young, derring-do coach.

Having ended a hunt for a first title in three years, the Aces will now embark on a quest for first back-to-back championships since a botched second grandslam bid in 1998.

Big responsibility will be put on the shoulders of McKines, the US NCAA Western Athletic Conference (WAC) MVP and scoring and rebounding champion in the 2011-12 campaign.

Reviews on the Oakland, California native suggest he’s tailor-fit for Alaska, just like Rob Dozier.

Listed as 6-foot-6 but is likely to fit the league’s 6-foot-5 ceiling, McKines is said to have a size of a two-guard, but has the game of a power forward.

He submitted whopping averages of 18.7 points and 10.7 rebounds in his senior year with the NMS Aggies then played with the Golden State Warriors in the NBA summer league.

He erupted for 27 points and 14 rebounds to power the Aggies to an 82-57 rout of the Louisiana Tech in the 2012 WAC championship.

With 20 double-doubles – and a total of 47 in his career, McKines emerged the hands-down choice as the WAC MVP.

He also earned National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District Six team and US Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) All-District VIII team honors.

He concluded his career as No. 2 on the all-time rebounding list (1,135) and No. 8 on the all-time scoring list (1,521) at New Mexico State. McKines ended his time in the Crimson and White ranking third in both games played (126) and minutes played (3,576) in school history.

He was tied for eighth in career rebounding average (9.0), 10th in career blocked shots (66), ninth in career field goals made (582), eighth in career field goals attempted (1,194) and ninth in career free throw attempts (432).

In the 2011-12 season, McKines shot 46.1 percent from field, 35.2 percent from three-point line and 76.0 percent from free-throw line.

The season-ending Governors Cup is a short tourney where the 10 teams figure in a single-round elims play with the top eight advancing to the playoffs.

It’s No. 1 versus No. 8, No. 2 against No. 7, No. 3 opposite No. 6 and No. 4 versus No. 5 with the higher seeds enjoying twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals. The semifinals is a best-of-five series and the finals a best-of-seven playoffs.