AN early collision between top contenders
San Mig Coffee and Harbour Centre banners the exciting
doubleheader ushering in the 2008 Philippine Basketball League
Unity Cup which unfurls Saturday at The Arena in San Juan.
The Batang Pier, reigning Unity Cup
champion and gunning for a fifth straight title, clash with
the Coffee Kings shortly after the curtain-raiser featuring
Burger King and comebacking Noosa Shoes (formerly Blu
Detergent).
Harbour and San Mig clashed in the
semifinals of the last V-Go Extreme Energy Drink Cup, with the
Batang Pier surviving the Coffee Kings in their best-of-three
series that went the full route.
The Batang Pier went on to beat Hapee
Toothpaste in the finals to win their fourth straight
championship.
The Coffee Kings, Batang Pier and the Hapee
Tootpaste Complete Protectors are among the teams fancied to
win the league’s season-ending tournament.
Coaches of both San Mig Coffee and Harbour
Centre downplayed their chances in yesterday’s PSA Forum at
the Shakey’s UN Avenue branch along with their counterparts
from the rest of the competing teams represented by Ariel
Vanguardia (Toyota Otis), Allan Gregorio and Jerry Codiñera
(Burger King), team manager Pat Aquino (Noosa Shoes), Lawrence
Chongson (Bacchus) and Gian Carlo Tan (Pharex).
"We’ll take it one game at a time. We made
it to the semis last conference so we’re looking first to
surpass that achievement and then we’ll take it from
there," said San Mig Coffee assistant coach
Glenn Capacio, representing head coach Koy Banal.
"They’re always taking about Harbour being
the favorite, but the league is not just about us," said
Batang Pier mentor Jorge Gallent. "Marami rin namang teams
capable of winning the title, like Hapee Toothpaste, San Mig,
Toyota and yes, even Bacchus."
Also appearing in the forum sponsored by
Shakey’s and Pagcor were Harbour Centre stalwarts TY Tang and
Jason Castro. Only Hapee Toothpaste, now handled by Louie
Alas, failed to send a representative to the public sports
program.
PBL superstars such as JV Casio, Rico
Maierhoffer, Dilan Ababou, Chester Taylor, RJ Jasul, Sam Ekwe,
Pong Escobal, Ogie Menor and Kelvin de la Pena have all been
pulled out from their respective mother teams to play for
their schools in the coming collegiate season.
But they would be hardly missed with the
return of members of the RP men’s team to their respective
teams and the emergence of several new faces and comebacking
players.
"We’ve lost a couple of players in (JV)
Casio and RJ Jasul, but Patrick Cabahug and Eugene Tan will be
back with the team," said Vanguardia. "Toyota has been
consistent being in the semis, kaya gusto naman namin
ngayon makapasok sa finals."
Burger King Whoppers’ Allan Gregorio
admitted losing the rights to Jervy Cruz to Hapee Toothpaste
was a big blow to the franchise’s title bid, but is
nonetheless proud to have pulled off a coup by signing former
PBA greats Jerry Codinera and Vergel Meneses as assistant
coaches.
"Of course, Jervy Cruz is Jervy Cruz. Pero
everything is water under the bridge and we’re ready to move
on. Ang maganda lang sa team ngayon, we’re able to sign up
Jerry (Codinera) and Vergel (Meneses) as assistant coaches,
and alam naman natin ’yung kind ng wisdom they can give to the
team," said Allan, one-third of the three Gregorio siblings
involved in basketball.
