Veteran imports in Governors Cup

It looks like PBA teams aren’t taking any chances in the Governors Cup which reels off tomorrow with a doubleheader at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. Of the 12 imports, nine are returnees with only Alaska’s Mike Harris of Rice University, Columbian’s Akeem Wright of Kansas State and NorthPort’s Rashad Woods of Kent State making their debut in the local pro league.

Four are former Best Import awardees so San Miguel Beer’s Arizona Reid of High Point University, Meralco’s Allen Durham of Grace Bible College, Magnolia’s Romeo Travis of the University of Akron and Barangay Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee are tried and tested. Clearly, the PBA teams are putting a premium on experience more than youth. Every single import, except Phoenix’ Eugene Phelps who’s 28, is at least 30 years old, an indication that coaches are looking for mature players, not those looking to gain exposure for a chance to take their game to a bigger stage like the NBA or high-paying clubs in Europe and China.

The longest-tenured import is Reid who’s playing in his seventh conference after stints with Rain Or Shine and San Miguel. Entering their fifth conference are Blackwater’s Henry Walker (previously with Alaska and NLEX), Brownlee (all with Ginebra) and Phelps (all with Phoenix). Durham, a two-time Best Import pick, is in his fourth season after a conference with Barako Bull and two with Meralco. Travis was formerly with Alaska and TNT KaTropa’s Mike Glover of Iona College used to play for GlobalPort, now NorthPort. NLEX’ Olu Ashaolu, who is Nigerian-Canadian, broke in with the Road Warriors for one game in the recent Commissioner’s Cup, compiling 31 points and 12 rebounds in a 116-89 loss to Magnolia. He played for Louisiana Tech and the University of Oregon in the NCAA Division I.

Only Walker, 30, is an NBA draft pick among the imports. He was Washington’s second round choice in the 2008 NBA draft but never played for the Wizards. Walker, however, suited up for Boston, New York and Miami in five NBA seasons. Blackwater owner Dioceldo Sy said he’s upbeat on the Elite’s chances to bounce back from a 1-10 showing in the previous conference. “We beat Magnolia in a practice game a few days ago without Poy (Erram) and (Allein) Maliksi but Walker played great,” he said. The only other import with NBA credentials is Harris who was undrafted but played for Houston, Washington and Utah in four NBA seasons.

No doubt, Brownlee is the import yardstick as he’s led Ginebra to the last two Governors Cup crowns and he’s coming off a spectacular Commissioner’s Cup where the Barangay beat San Miguel, 4-2, in the Finals. Brownlee, 30, has now won four championships with Filipino teams, including San Miguel Alab Pilipinas in the ABL. Brownlee has expressed willingness to be naturalized so he can play for Gilas and intends to settle here.

Here are the ages of the 12 imports – Harris, 35, Woods, 31, Wright, 33, Durham, 30, Brownlee, 30, Reid, 32, Travis, 33, Walker, 30, Ashaolu, 30, Glover, 31, Rain Or Shine’s J’Nathan Bullock of Cleveland State, 31 and Phelps, 28. 

To make way for the fourth window of the 2019 FIBA Asia/Pacific World Cup Qualifiers where the Philippines will play Iran in Tehran on Sept. 13 and Qatar behind closed doors at home on Sept. 17, the PBA has scheduled no games from Sept. 6 to 18. PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said that will clear the PBA players in the Gilas lineup to train exclusively with the national team. 

Depending on how long the playoffs go, the Governors Cup could end in December at the latest with the draft set on Dec. 16. The shortened format will do away with the best-of-three series in the quarterfinals and the semifinals will be best-of-five affairs. The eliminations will be a single round-robin with the top eight finishers advancing to the quarterfinals where the first four placers gain a twice-to-beat advantage against the next four. The finals will be best-of-seven as usual.

What will make the Governors Cup more interesting is Calvin Abueva’s arrival at Phoenix. Alaska traded Abueva for Karl Dehesa and the FuelMasters’ 2019 first round draft pick. Another interesting development is the expected debut of Art de la Cruz and Julian Sargent with Ginebra. De la Cruz and Sargent were both traded to Ginebra but have yet to suit up for the Barangay while recovering from injuries. 

Phoenix coach Louie Alas has welcomed Abueva with open arms and The Beast is expected to make a resounding comeback after sitting out Alaska’s last 11 games in the previous Commissioner’s Cup. Phoenix didn’t qualify for the playoffs last conference but becomes an instant contender with Abueva now playing alongside Gilas teammate Matthew Wright, leading Rookie of the Year candidate Jason Perkins and Phelps.