Ni ERNEST HERNANDEZ
PARA kay coach Louie Alas, hindi na nalalayo ang Phoenix Fuel Masters para malinya sa PBA elite teams.
“We are two to three personnel pa from contending with the elite. Ngayon, nakuha ko isa pa lang - Jason Perkins,” pahayag ni Alas matapos ang malaking panalo ng Fuel Mastres sa NLEX Road Warriors.
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Target ni Alas na masungkit ang ikalawang pambatong player sa katauhan ni Ginebra center Joe Devance na kasalukuyang unrestricted free agent.
“Baka sakaling may mga available diyan. Sana si Joe Devance available. Unrestricted eh ‘di ba? Why not? Kailangan ko ng malaki,” sambit ni Alas. “Joe Devance is Joe Devance.”
Sa panayam matapos ang laro ng Ginebra laban sa GlobalPort nitong Linggo, hindi inamin o itinanggi ni DeVance ang posibilidad na reunion sa dating coach na si Alas.
“Coach Louie Alas? I’m still on the team. I don’t know what to say. You caught me by surprise on that one,” ayon kay DeVance.
Naging player ni Alas si DeVance sa Toyota Otis sa dating PBL.
“Coach Louie is a great coach. I thrived under him in the PBL,” ayon kay DeVance.
Iginiit naman ni JDV na may nauna na silang usapan ni Ginebra coach Tim Cone hingil sa kanyang pagiging ‘unrestricted agent’.
“No teams. Just my friends kinda joked about it, but that’s just my friends,” sambit ni Devance. “I’m pretty sure nobody likes a 35-year-old basketball player. I don’t think any team will be interested.”
Mula ng ma-draft sa PBA noong 2008, nahubog ang talento ni DeVance sa pangangasiwa ni Cone kung saan nakapagwagi sila ng walong kampeonato, kabilang ang grand slam sa San Mig Coffee.
“I have been blessed to playing most of my-- pretty much my whole career – under coach Tim. He has taught me so much. It’s kinda hard for me to think about playing for another coach and I don’t see that happening,” aniya.
