Encore for Brownlee, RHJ

MANILA, Philippines — Balik-imports Justin Brownlee and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson make the coming Season 48 Commissioner’s Cup a venue to settle the score after splitting their rivalry duels for Asian Games and PBA Governors’ Cup glory.

But a host of talented rivals, mostly first timers in Asia’s first play-for-pay league, are out to steal the thunder from the duo in the season-opening conference that starts Nov. 5.

Brownlee, fresh from powering Gilas Pilipinas to its first Asiad basketball gold medal in 61 years at the expense of the Hollis-Jefferson-led Jordan, goes on his eighth tour of duty with Barangay Ginebra. The Gin Kings will be defending the crown they won over Hong Kong’s Bay Area Dragon in front of a record 54,086-strong Game 7 crowd last season.

Hollis-Jefferson, coming off Jordan’s historic Asian Games basketball silver medal outing, returns to the TNT fold for duty No. 2. Jordan’s naturalized player is gunning for back-to-back triumphs in the pro league after snatching the Governors’ Cup throne from Brownlee and the Gin Kings last April.

Brownlee and Hollis-Jefferson, at 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-6, respectively, are both undersized for the tournament’s height ceiling of 6-foot-9 and below. But their teams are banking on their fighting heart, winning attitude and familiarity with the locals in the race to the top.

Kiwi Tom Vodanovich makes his second appearance as Converge reinforcement after a one-game outing of 39 points and 10 rebounds in the FiberXers’ quarterfinal duel with San Miguel Beer in the last Governors’ Cup.

NLEX’ Thomas Robinson, the No. 5 pick of the 2012 NBA Draft, headlines the new faces poised to make a big impact on Philippine soil.

A five-year NBA veteran, Robinson is set to make his PBA debut after his supposed stint with San Miguel Beer in the Season 47 Commissioner’s Cup fizzled out due to a back injury.

Also poised to take the PBA by storm are Belgian Thomas de Thaey (Terrafirma), Dajuan Summers (Rain or Shine), Tyler Stone (San Miguel Beer), Jonathan Williams (Phoenix), Tyler Bey (Magnolia) and Puerto Rican Chris Ortiz (Blackwater). Thaey, Summers, Williams and Bey had NBA experience prior to coming over.

As of presstime, Meralco and NorthPort have yet to finalize their respective imports, according to the PBA.