Hotshots kick off bid vs Enforcers

Games today (Smart Araneta Coliseum)

4:15 p.m. – Meralco vs Phoenix

7 p.m. – Mahindra vs Star

MANILA, Philippines - The Star Hotshots and top import Marqus Blakely, denied a treble by the AZ Reid-led San Miguel Beer squad last season, start their quest to reclaim the PBA Governors Cup crown as they take on the Mahindra Enforcers in the opener of the season-ending tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

The Meralco Bolts, who narrowly missed the finals last conference, tangle with a Phoenix squad coming in with a newly overhauled lineup in the other game at the resumption of the PBA Season 41 which took a breather to give way to the FIBA Manila Olympic qualifier.

The Bolts and the Fuel Masters, under new coach Ariel Vanguardia, slug it out at 4:15 p.m. then the Hotshots and the Enforcers mix it up at 7 p.m.

Tonight’s twinbill ushers in back-to-back doubleheaders at the MOA Arena tomorrow and at the Big Dome Sunday.

Blackwater and NLEX face off at 4:30 p.m. then Barangay Ginebra and GlobalPort square off at 6:45 p.m. tomorrow. On Sunday, San Miguel Beer starts its title defense versus Phoenix at 4 p.m. then Alaska Milk faces off with Meralco at 6:15 p.m.

Faring poorly in their first two tourneys under coach Jason Webb, the Hotshots are hopeful they can finally score a breakthrough on yet another return by their champion import.

Blakely, a two-time American East Player of the Year with Vermont U, has led the Star team to three finals, going all the way to the top twice in 2013 and 2014.

The 2013 PBA Best Import winner starts his fifth tour of duty with Star against Mahindra regular import James White and Asian reinforcement Iman Zandi.

White was the choice of Mahindra officials Bobby Rosales, Eric Pineda and Joe Lipa who all flew to the United States in search of an import.

Listed at 6-8, White is said to be a versatile player who played for Arkansas-Little Rock and Georgia Tech in college basketball.

The Mahindra backcourt is likely to get a big boost from Zandi, an Iranian guard who is veteran of two Asian Games and two FIBA Asia Championships.

The 6-foot -2, the Isfahan, Iran native is a two-time Iranian Super League MVP (2002 and 2003) and five-time Iranian Super League top scorer (2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2014).

Zandi is one of seven Asian imports strutting their wares in the tourney. The others are Syrian Imad Qahwash for Blackwater, Palestine Omar Krayem for Globalport, another Iranian Mohammad Jamshidi for Meralco, Lebanese Rodrigue Akl for NLEX, Korean Lee Kwan Hee for Phoenix, and Syrian Michael Madanly for TNT.

Blakely, meanwhile, is among PBA import returnees including San Miguel’s Reid, Rain or Shine’s Dior Lowhorn, Ginebra’s Paul Harris, Blackwater’s Eric Dawson, Globalport’s Dominique Sutton, Meralco’s Allen Durham, and NLEX’s Henry Walker.