PHI Patriots seek to regain crown in 2012 ABL

Saturday, 14 January 2012 15:06 Diego de la Paz

After falling short in the 2011 ASEAN Basketball League finals against the Chang Thailand Slammers, the AirAsia and Harbour Centre-backed Philippine Patriots aim to make an impact this season to regain the title that they lost almost a year ago.

In their season opener, they will test the expansion Thailand Cobras, one of the three new squads in this regional professional basketball club tournament.

Tipoff for the season-opening matchup is at 4:00pm at the old Gymnasium in downtown San Juan.

Two other squads rounding out the newcomers are the Saigon Sports Academy (SSA) Saigon Heat of Vietnam and the San Miguel Beermen, who will also carry the Philippine flag along with the Patriots.

However, the Brunei Barracudas filed for a leave of absence this season due to unspecified reasons.

In the off-season, big changes were made in the lineup of the inaugural champions beginning with the promotion of assistant coach Glenn Capacio as the head coach after the Mikee Romero-owned ballclub was not able to retain the services of multi-titled skipper Louie Alas due to personal reasons.

On court, the Patriots have been completely retooled with only Warren Ybanez staying on from last season's lineup. Making his comeback is Rob Wainwright, who left the team last season after being acquired by the Barako Bull Energy Boosters in the 2010-11 PBA season.

Leading the way for the newcomers is Aldrech Ramos, a versatile forward who once suited up for the Smart Gilas-Pilipinas national squad and Far Eastern University. His inside-outside game is a much-needed boost for the squad, who once had the athletic Elmer Espiritu in tow but was eventually lured away to the PBA.

Other locals strutting their wares for the squad include former Singapore Slingers guard Al Vergara, ex-Rain or Shine guard Marcy Arellano, veteran journeyman Eddie Laure, Reed Juntilla, and ex-Westports Malaysia Dragons forward Angel Raymundo.

Backstopping the 2010 champions are center Nakiea Miller, formerly of Satria Muda BritAma and Westports Malaysia Dragons, and ex-Sta. Lucia Realtors import Anthony Johnson.

The 6-foot-10 Miller, just like local big man Aldrech Ramos, brings in an assortment of inside and outside moves that is surely a threat to the opposing defense. On the other hand, the 6-foot-6 Johnson was one of the two imports for the Patriots at the start of last season, but his stint was cut short due to a lingering hamstring injury that put him on the shelf and was quickly replaced by American-Jordanian guard Rashiem Wright in the process.

Meanwhile, the expansion Beermen who are led by head coach Bobby Parks, begin their inaugural campaign tomorrow against the Westports Malaysia Dragons at 3:00 PM in Kuala Lumpur.

Backed by a number of ex-pros and promising newcomers, the proud San Miguel franchise seek to expand their winning tradition in the ASEAN region.

Heralding their 12-man roster are ex-Patriots Junjun Cabatu, Benedict Fernandez, Froilan Baguion and Neil Raneses. Ex-Singapore Slingers and Westports Malaysia Dragons import Leo Avenido, who last appeared for the Air21 Express at the tail end of the 2011 PBA Governors Cup, is expected to make an impact on the guard spot with his vast experience in the ASEAN region.

However, a number of Philippine basketball observers are now intrigued with the arrival of former University of Cebu behemoth June Mar Fajardo, who once dominated the Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) tournament with his post-up presence in a bulky 6-foot-11 frame.

Reinforcing the first-timers are Darlon Johnson and Richard Jeter, who aided the squad to claim the To Be Number One tournament title, in which a number of ABL teams including the Patriots and the Saigon Heat participated in preparation for this year's campaign.

Rounding out the opening weekend slate of matches on Sunday include the Chang Thailand Slammers opening their title defense against the Saigon Heat at 3:00 PM in Bangkok. The rechristened Indonesia Warriors, who were previously known as Satria Muda BritAma in the first two seasons, challenge the Singapore Slingers on the road at 4:00 PM.

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