When Greg was called Yao

Believe it or not, Barangay Ginebra’s 7-foot center Greg Slaughter was once called Yao Ming growing up in Virginia. Was it because of their common Asian heritage? Of course, Slaughter would’ve liked to believe it was because he played like the Chinese superstar. “I’ve always been a Yao fan,” he said. What about Shaquille O’Neal? Slaughter supposedly said he idolized Shaq in an interview. He laughed it off. “Not Shaq but Yao,” he said. “And of the big guys in the PBA, I’ve always admired Asi Taulava.”

Although Slaughter was born in Cleveland, he was baptized in Cebu where his mother Emma Fuentes is from. It was in Cebu where his American father William met his mother. They eventually settled in New Jersey. Slaughter is an only child but has a half-brother and a half-sister on his father’s side.

When Slaughter was 16, he shot up to 6-6. He never expected to be so tall as his father is 6-3 and mother is 5-7. But Slaughter was destined to play basketball with his height settling at seven feet, give or take a fraction of an inch. E. J. Feihl was the only other 7-foot local in the PBA, retiring in 2007 after 12 seasons. Raul Dillo is in the record books as the tallest ever Filipino pro player at 7-3. Dillo saw action with the San Juan Knights in the defunct MBA.

It was during a visit to Cebu in 2004 when Slaughter’s eyes were opened to the PBA. He watched the PBA All-Star Game in Cebu that year and was impressed by Taulava who shared MVP honors with Jimmy Alapag. But it wasn’t until 2007 when Slaughter decided to try his luck in basketball in the Philippines, first as a collegiate player with the University of the Visayas (UV). An uncle Benito, a former UV player, influenced his decision to play with the Green Lancers.

Before moving to Cebu, Slaughter had hoped to make an impact with the Virginia Commonwealth University varsity but wound up exasperated. Virginia Commonwealth’s basketball alumni include former PBA import Bernie Harris, newly signed Memphis Grizzlies’ Troy Daniels and Gerald Henderson who won two NBA titles at Boston and one at Detroit. Slaughter tried out for the varsity and was relegated to a training team for a year.

“I knew there were lots of opportunities to play in the Philippines,” said Slaughter. “After a year with the club team in Virginia, I didn’t want to waste any more time. So I went to Cebu. One of my first practices in Cebu was with June Mar (Fajardo) and for a while, I thought we’d play on the same college team. We ended up playing against each other. I have so much respect for June Mar. It’s a real challenge to face him. He’s a great guy on and off the court.”

Slaughter played three years with the UV varsity, leading the Green Lancers to three CESAFI championships then transferred to Ateneo where he powered the Blue Eagles to two UAAP crowns. During his collegiate career, Slaughter played on the Philippine team that took the gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games and the SEABA Championships in 2011. From the UAAP, Slaughter joined Barangay Ginebra as the first overall pick in the 2013 PBA draft. As a freshman, he averaged 14.6 points and 10.1 boards to earn Rookie of the Year honors. As a sophomore, Slaughter averaged 14.8 points and 10.3 rebounds.  This season, he has blossomed into a legitimate All-Star under new Ginebra coach Tim Cone, averaging 22.7 points and 14.5 rebounds in the Philippine Cup and 17.4 points and 9.3 rebounds in the Commissioner’s Cup.

In Slaughter’s eight conferences in the PBA so far, Ginebra has gone to the Final Four only once – in the 2013-14 Philippine Cup where the Barangay finished third. Ginebra has not advanced to the semifinals in the last seven conferences and it’s a drought that Slaughter hopes will end sooner than later. At the moment, Slaughter is recovering from a right ankle arthroscopic surgery and should be ready to return to action when Ginebra plays Mahindra on Sept. 9.

Slaughter said if there were problems hounding Ginebra, they’re a thing of the past. “We’re more together now,” he said. “When we lose, we look at ourselves. Change is within ourselves. Coach Tim has put us in a position to succeed. We’ve got a good group of veterans and young players. Take Mark (Caguioa) and Jay-Jay (Helterbrand). They’re experienced, they’re the Fast and the Furious. I learn just by playing with them.”

At Ginebra, Slaughter played under Ato Agustin, Juno Sauler, Jeff Cariaso and Frankie Lim before Cone checked in. It was a difficult period of adjustment as the team went from coach to coach. For his part, Slaughter took the best from every coach, tried to improve and moved forward. With Cone at the helm, the team has rediscovered stability.

Playing for multiple coaches has its benefits, said Slaughter. His knowledge of the game became broader. Someone who has helped him develop as a player is skills coach Kirk Collier, also an expert in strength and conditioning.

Slaughter said he can’t wait to suit up. He’s excited to play without pain, something he endured for over a year. Ginebra, meanwhile, has raced to a 3-1 record in the ongoing Governors Cup, the only loss a 109-100 overtime defeat to Alaska. The Barangay’s next game is against Blackwater at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Aug. 10. Slaughter will be in the stadium, in civvies, counting the days when doctors finally give their go-signal for him to get back to action.