Sol Mercado, Gary David, Willie Miller see no problem sharing ball at GlobalPort

Rey Joble, InterAKTV · Tuesday, February 5, 2013 · 11:42 am

AKTV file phoyo/Paolo Papa

GlobalPort features three of the most lethal scorers in the PBA in Gary David, Sol Mercado, and Willie Miller.
But when the game is on the line, who will take the last shot?
“Me,” said Batang Pier coach Junel Baculi in jest. Turning serious, he said that won’t be an issue in his system.
“Anyone can take the last shot, even Japeth Aguilar.”
Baculi said having many weapons in crunch time is a good problem to have.
“I’m a guy who loves to make a gamble. But it depends on the situation. You have a Sol, who can attack the basket, and you have Willie Miller and Gary David capable of shooting the ball. So it really depends on situation and opportunity,” said Baculi.
Mercado, who was acquired during the break, led the Philippine Cup in scoring and assists. He said he has no problem sharing the ball with his talented teammates.
“I’d love to give the game-winning assist,” said Mercado.
“It really doesn’t matter who will take the last shot as long as we win the game.”
David welcomes Mercado’s entry into the GlobalPort fold.
“At least, hindi na sa akin naka-focus yung attention ng mga bumabantay,” said David, the league’s reigning scoring champion.
“Mas nagkaroon ng additional threat and mas maganda para sa akin at sa team. Pero maski sino sa amin, puwedeng tumira ng last shot.”
Miller, a two-time Most Valuable Player, is psyched to have Mercado to create opportunities for the squad.
“Siya magaling mag-create. Ako bahala sa perimeter, si Gary naman sa three-points,” said Miller.
“Depende sa gagawin ni Sol. If he creates at nag-collapse yung defense, pwede niya ibigay maski kanino sa amin. Doon nakasalalay kung sino yung puwedeng tumira ng last shot.”

source:http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/sol-mercado-gary-david-willie-miller-see-no-problem-sharing-ball-at-globalport

Eala offers Fajardo, Tenorio, Pingris to Gilas By Richard Dy

Petron's June Mar Fajardo, left, Ginebra's LA Tenorio, and San Mig's Marc Pingris have been made available to Gilas Pilipinas by SMC sports operations head Noli Eala. Jerome Ascano

SAN Miguel Corp. sports operations head Noli Eala has offered LA Tenorio of Barangay Ginebra, Jean Marc Pingris of San Mig Coffee, and Petron rookie big man June Mar Fajardo to the Gilas Pilipinas team that is set to begin its preparations for this August’s Fiba-Asia men’s championships.
Eala made the offer through his Twitter account @NoliEala, saying, “Junmar, LA and Ping are also available to Gilas if they want them. Wish Gilas all the best.”
Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes has yet to name the official roster of the national team pending the revised schedule of the PBA’s Governors Cup, which originally was supposed to end in late July.
PBA  commissioner Chito Salud has reiterated the league's position to fully support the national squad by way of adjusting the third conference schedule to give Gilas Pilipinas ample time to prepare for the Asian showpiece, which the country is hosting for the first time in 40 years.
Salud and the league board have also given Reyes the green light to name at least one player from every PBA team to the Gilas pool.
Reyes has long been vocal about his desire to pick Fajardo and Petron teammate Arwind Santos for the Gilas pool, but both have not been made available by the San Miguel franchise in the past.
It is not yet clear if Reyes has already chosen Fajardo over Santos. It is also unclear if Eala's position is also the position of San Miguel, which gathered its basketball coaches and top officials in a meeting on Sunday with big boss Ramon S. Ang.
Tenorio was part of two Gilas international stints last year, leading the national squad to the Williams Jones Cup title in Taipei en route to being named the tournament MVP. He also saw action for the national squad that placed fourth in the Fiba Asia Cup in Tokyo, Japan.
On the other hand, Pingris has been given the green light to join the Gilas Pilipinas squad more than a week ago as confirmed by San Mig Coffee board governor Rene Pardo.

Follow the writer on Twitter: @richava

source: http://www.spin.ph/sports/basketball/news/eala-offers-fajardo-tenorio-pingris-to-gilas

Cone keen to give Rogers chance to prove worth even if Bowles becomes available By Richard Dy

“We haven’t really learned how to use him. He has certain skills that are obvious but we just need to be able to use him," San Mig coach Tim Cone says of Matt Rogers. Jerome Ascano

DESPITE a 0-3 (win-loss) stint for San Mig Coffee with Matt Rogers in pre-Commissioner's Cup tune-up games, Tim Cone said the team is sticking with the import and committed to giving him a chance to show what he can do.
The Mixers signed up Rogers as Denzel Bowles, last season’s Commissioner’s Cup best import and Cone's original choice, remains tied down to his contract with the Zheijang Golden Bulls in the Chinese Basketball Association till the end of the month.
But even if Bowles becomes available, Cone said the Mixers are not inclined to get Bowles as their standby import.
“Matt’s open to learning and getting better, so it’s not fair for Matt,” stressed Cone. "And even if Denzel’s available right now, we’re committed to Matt, we’re sticking with him."
Rogers, a product of the Southwest Baptist University, averaged 20.3 points for the Mixers in pre-tournament losses to the ABL’s San Miguel Beermen, Air21 and Rain or Shine.
On the other hand, the 6-11 Bowles is a proven entity after leading the SMC franchise to last year's Commissioner's Cup championship in a stint he capped with a 39-point, 21-rebound performance in the title-clinching win over Talk 'N Text in the Finals.

Still, Cone said the 6-11 reinforcement should be given the chance to find his place in San Mig's triangle offense and prove his worth.

“We haven’t really learned how to use him,” Cone told Spin.ph. “He has certain skills that are obvious but we just need to be able to use him.”
San Mig Coffee opens its title defense on Friday against Barako Bull in a battle pitting two teams that figured prominently in a blockbuster 10-player trade more than a week ago.

Follow the writer on Twitter: @richava

source: http://www.spin.ph/sports/basketball/news/cone-keen-to-give-rogers-chance-to-prove-worth-even-if-bowles-becomes-available