MANILA, Philippines - Nagsimula nang magtrabaho ang Purefoods Tender Juicy para makuha ang tamang chemistry matapos ang isinagawang ‘upgrading’ sa pagkuha ng anim na key players.
Pinakahuling pumirma si Peter June Simon na nakakuha ng two-year contract na nagkakahalaga ng P350,000 kada-buwan.
Nauna nang pumirma ang mga nakuha sa rookie draft na sina Rico Maierhofer at Chris Timberlake na nabigyan ng three-year contracts habang sina Paul Artadi, Romel Adducul at Roger Yap ay binigyan ng one-year contract-extension deals.
Sina James Yap at Kerby Raymundo ang magdadala pa rin ng team na tatampukan pa rin nina Marc Pingris, Rafi Reavis, Don Carlos Allado, Jondan Salvador, Nino Canaleta at ang nagbabalik na si Jonathan Fernandez.
“We have become taller, more aggressive and quicker. Hopefully, we can translate these traits to victories," sabi ni Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio. "Our average age has also gone down. We're looking to compete with the league's younger teams," dagdag ni Gregorio.
“With proper chemistry and jelling, we can have a better campaign this season,” wika naman ni Purefoods governor Rene Pardo.
Masaya si Gregorio sa pagbabalik nina Pingris at Artadi.
“With so many changes in our lineup and them being there before, we’re looking at Paul and Marc to help our team get positive attitude," ani Gregorio. “Nothing more is on the table right now. We just hope to squeeze in as many games we can have before the season unfolds. We need to it to develop chemistry," aniya pa.
Kakalabanin nila ang Sta. Lucia Realtors bukas sa Roxas City sa simula ng isang serye ng tune-up games. (Nelson Beltran)