Ellis, Phelps complete import cast

MANILA, Philippines -  Alaska Milk has brought in former University of Cincinnati standout Octavius Ellis while Phoenix Petroleum tapped Eugene Phelps as temporary reinforcement, completing the roster of imports seeing action in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup which fires off Friday.

Six returning PBA imports and six new faces strut their stuff in the mid-season tourney won by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters over the Alaska Milk Aces last year.

Ellis, cousin of NBA player Monta Ellis, is the last to be signed in, flying in just a week before the start of the tourney where Mahindra tangles with Meralco and Rain or Shine takes on NLEX in the opening twinbill.

GlobalPort’s Sean Williams, Blackwater’s Greg Smith, Meralco’s Alex Stepheson, San Miguel Beer’s Charles Rhodes and Star’s Tony Mitchell are the other newcomers.

Those on return stints are Phelps, Barangay Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee, Mahindra’s James White, NLEX’s Wayne Chism, Rain or Shine’s Shawn Taggart and TNT’s Denzel Bowles.

Phelps, Phoenix’s import in the last Governors Cup, suits up with the Fuel Masters while the team awaits their top prospect. A shade below 6-foot-5, Phelps will have to deal with taller rivals in the tourney with a height ceiling of 6-foot-10 for import.

Ellis is near the limit, giving Alaska added height and heft in its frontcourt that features Sonny Thoss, Vic Manuel and Calvin Abueva.

The Memphis, Tennessee native played out his collegiate eligibility only last year after which he played with Mornar Bar team in the Adriatic League.

Ellis, 23, was an All-ACC second team awardee in 2015.

New imports coming in with NBA credentials are Williams, Smith and Stepheson.

Williams, the No. 17 pick by New Jersey in the 2007 NBA draft, played with the Nets, the Dallas Mavs and the Boston Celtics. His huge inside presence could well complement the backcourt threat of Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle.

Smith had stints with the Houston Rockets, the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2012 to 2016 while Stepheson saw action with the LA Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies.

A former All-WAC second team awardee, Smith had NBA playoff experiences with the Rockets in 2013 and the Mavericks in 2015.

He had his best year in the NBA in 2013 where he played 70 games and averaged 6.0 points and 4.6 rebounds as among the key reserves in the James Harden-led Houston Rockets team.

Meanwhile, Williams is included in the short list of NCAA Division I players with 13 or more blocks in a game. 

As a Boston College player, he swatted away 13 shots against Duquesne on Dec. 28, 2006. He left his school as the leading shot blocker in the Big East Conference and ACC.

He showed his inside strength even in the NBA where he averaged 4.2 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 137 games. He’s also a former CBA slam dunk king who last saw action in the Iranian league.

At Memphis, Stepheson, 29, once put in a double-double performance with 12 points and 15 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench versus the Houston Rockets.

He averaged 15.9 points and a league-best 13.8 points with the Iowa Energy in the 2016 NBA D-League. He’s also a veteran of overseas campaigns, having played in Slovenia, Turkey and most recently in China with the Guangzhou Long Lions.