Duremdes plans comeback in PBA's 37th season

Rumors started circulating that former PBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kenneth Duremdes is thinking of coming out of retirement to join the Powerade Tigers next season. Duremdes’ planned comeback appeared in social networking sites shortly after Powerade finished its campaign in the PBA’s 36th season with an 86-81 win over Meralco. The 10-time PBA All-Star is currently one of the assistants of coach Bo Perasol and an executive of the team under Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines. Perasol neither confirmed nor denied it when asked on Duremdes’ planned comeback by next year. "It can happen but I think it’s a way of honoring him." Rumors of Duremdes’ possible comeback came out after Powerade again failed to advance past the eliminations. The last time the Tigers entered the playoffs was in the 2008-09 season when Duremdes, ironically, was calling the shots for the team. But a highly-reliable source who’s close to the 37-year-old Duremdes said the 1998 MVP will assess his physical condition first before deciding if he will come out of retirement by next season. "He’s going to try first if he can still keep up with the team during training camp," the source told GMA News, adding that Duremdes actually didn’t officially retire from playing. The shooting guard out of Adamson played for 13 seasons in the league from 1995 to 2008. He was Sunkist’s third overall pick in the 1995 Rookie Draft. He also played for Pop Cola, Alaska, Sta. Lucia and Coca-Cola. It was with Alaska that Duremdes blossomed into a league superstar. He was 24 when he was named the 1998 season’s MVP. He played 527 games in the league averaging 13.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. Duremdes, who is a three-time Mythical selection member and a part of the league’s exclusive 5,000-points club, suited up for Coca-Cola for one season after being traded by Sta. Lucia in 2007. In 2008, he was named the Tigers’ head coach and compiled a 14-21 record. – JVP/OMG, GMA News