PBL: New-look Harbour Centre battles Pharex in opener

MANILA, Philippines – The new-look Harbour Centre begins its Philippine Basketball League title retention bid Saturday when it meets Pharex in the season-opening PG Flex Linoleum Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City. The five-time champions Batang Pier will test the Generix, who will be parading top rookie pick Chris Ross in a doubleheader that will also serve as the re-launching of the Women’s PBL (WPBL). The Batang Pier-Generix match is set at 2pm with the inaugural WPBL game between collegiate rivals Ateneo and La Salle in the 4pm encounter between Nutri-C and Sunkist. Ateneo players will suit up for Nutri-C while Sunkist will be banking on La Salle’s starting unit. The league’s top officials – led by PBL commissioner Chino Trinidad, chairmane Mikee Romero of Harbour Center and deputy commissioner Tommy Ong – will grace an elaborate and colorful opening ceremony set at 1pm to welcome the new season. The PBL will honor some of its famous products including Rommel Adducul, who plays with Purefoods in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), whose will to win a personal battle with nasal cancer in the face of adversity is truly commendable. Also to be cited is Major Naz Cablayan for his dedicated service in the firefighting department while the rest of the honorees are the 18 players, led by three-time most valuable player (MVP) Jason Castro of Harbour Centre and Hapee’s Gabe Norwood, who contributed in the resounding success of the 2008 PBL season. Both Castro and Norwood are now playing in the PBA. Others to be honored are Mark Borboran and Larry Rodriguez of Hapee, Harbour Centre’s Sol Mercado, TY Tang, Chad Alonzo, Beau Belga, Jonathan Fernandez, Jeff Chan and Rob Reyes, Magnolia’s Bonbon Custodio and John Paul Escobal, Bacchus’ Nat Cruz, Lawrence Bonus of Burger King, Toyota Otis’ CholoVillanueva and Kelvin dela Pena of Noosa Shoes. In the absence of Castro and Co., the Batang Pier are hard-pressed to keep their championship tradition as they seek an unprecedented sixth consecutive crown and cement the franchise’s status as arguably, the greatest team ever to play in the 27-year history of the PBL. With only Boyet Bautista, Edwin Asoro, Jerwin Gaco, Rico Maierhofer and the comebacking Reed Juntilla as holdovers of past Harbour Centre rosters, the team sought help from outside forces and got a big lift when it sealed a tie-up with Far Eastern University. The partnership netted the Batang Pier the core of the Tamaraws’ squad composed of Mark Barroca, Benedict Fernandez, Aldrech Ramos, Reil Cervantes and former UAAP Rookie of the Year JR Cawaling, giving Harbour Center coach Jorge Gallent enough confidence of another possible title romp by the franchise. “We do have the materials to win a sixth straight PBL championship," said the architect of Harbour Center’s dynasty. But out to spoil the Batang Pier’s opening bid are the Generix, whose own campaign for a breakthrough title has been boosted by the acquisition of the 6-foot-1 Ross, a Fil-Am guard out of US NCAA Division I school Marshall University, and Mapua gunner Ian Mazo. The duo are expected to add more firepower to a Pharex lineup already teeming with talent behind the presence of Elmer Espiritu, Sean Co, Francis Allera, Ronnie Mathias, Ian Saladaga, Alfredo Gerilla and Don Villamin. – GMANews.TV