AKTV/Paolo Papa
San Mig Coffee, formerly B-MEG, battles Alaska in the main tiff at 7:30 p.m.
The Bolts, now in the post-Asi Taulava era, brought in several players to bolster their roster led by Ronjay Buenafe, Carlo Sharma and Sunday Salvacion and rookie Cliff Hodge.
“I want to gauge our revitalized roster power against the defending champion,” said Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio.
“I want to see Cliff Hodge play against the big dogs in the league. I hope his energy can rub off on our other players,” he added.
Hodge is known for his intensity and defense and Meralco badly needs a player like him.
Talk ‘N Text, which will be handled temporarily by assistant Nash Racela, did not make any change to its lineup with Jimmy Alapag, Kelly Williams and Ranidel de Ocampo again the key players to watch in the All-Filipino tournament.
The Tropang Texters defended the Philippine Cup last season against Powerade (now GlobalPort), the first team to do so in the last 27 years.
In the main game, the Coffee Mixers of coach Tim Cone square off with the Aces, a squad that acquired key players during the off season in JVee Casio and Dondon Hontiveros.
“Our preseason was a little bit more disjointed than we would have liked. We’re not exactly where we want to be preparation health-wise. Still, our goal is to get out quickly and that makes the first game critical for us,” said Cone.
“Alaska on the other hand, has been sharp in the preseason so we expect a tough battle,” he added.
The Aces of coach Luigi Trillo won a preseason tournament in Cebu City. Their No. 2 overall pick, Calvin Abueva has to finish his commitments with San Sebastian in the NCAA before he can join the squad.
source: http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/meralco-tests-retooled-roster-against-talk-n-text-san-mig-coffee-faces-alaska
No comments:
Post a Comment