BOB Turner, owner of the Singapore Slingers, is arriving
today, presumably to pursue talks with Harbour Centre’s main man Jason Castro,
Singapore-based Filipino businessman Paul Monosca disclosed yesterday.
The Slingers, one of the teams competing in the Australian
National Basketball League, have already signified their interest in getting the
services of the 5-foot-8 high-flying guard as early as last year.
A member of the Singapore Slingers, who reinforced the
Malaysian team in the recent SEABA Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia, had
earlier announced they will come to Manila to formalize their offer to the
veteran guard.
The PBL back-to-back MVP caught the fancy of Turner and his
assistant, Michael Johnson, during the training stint of the Philippine team in
Singapore last year. The Nationals, who were preparing then for the Thailand SEA
Games, beat the tall and experienced Slingers.
Harbour Centre owner Mikee Romero and team manager Erick
Arejola said Turner and Johnson will be watching Castro when Harbour battles
rival Hapee Toothpaste in the PBL today in Trece Martirez, Cavite.
"They’re really interested in getting a Filipino player and
Jason is their top priority," said Monosca. "They want to have a good Filipino
player in their team so that they can get the support of the Filipino community
in Singapore."
Romero said he’ll be happy and proud if Castro would become
the first Filipino player to play in the NBL.
"He has served the country and Harbour Centre well, so it’s
time for him to look for a better opportunity for himself. If he gets a good
contract, then he should grab it. Anyway, he’s still young."
According to Arejola, a member of the Singapore team gets a
minimum contract of $30,000 for a seven-month job. But with the caliber of
Castro, he is likely to get $50,000 or more.
Castro’s handler, however, would like to raise it to $60,000
(roughly P2.5 million).
Aside from Castro, Turner and Johnson are also going to scout for other
exciting Filipino players.
