Aquino, Espino back to RP training camp; Uichico to patch up things

Realizing they had nowhere else to go if they bolt the RP training camp, Sta. Lucia teammates and bosom buddies Marlou Aquino and Dennis Espino seem to have no choice but stick it out with national coach Jong Uichico and the candidates’ pool.

Sta. Lucia manager Buddy Encarnado told them they cannot rejoin the team and advised them to return to the Philippine pool and honor their obligation. A previous agreement entered into between the PBA and member ball clubs requires that candidates to the national pool cannot be released to their mother teams until after the first conference.

"Actually, I have no problem with coach Jong. Si Marlou lang. But I think he’s ready to patch things up with coach Jong," said Espino, who merely sympathized with Aquino as the 6-foot-9 behemoth skipped the national pool practice for three days after a spat with Uichico.

A Sta. Lucia insider said Aquino still harbors ill feeling towards Uichico but will return to the training camp because of the pressure from PBA commissioner Jun Bernardino and Encarnado.

Bernardino had said he’ll be forced to sanction Aquino and Espino if they refuse to return to the pool. Encarnado, meanwhile, told his players he won’t in any way allow them to renege on their obligation to the flag and country.

The same source said Aquino felt he would have no chance of making it to the national team under Uichico and assistant coach Allan Caidic. "Tinanggal nga raw siya ni Allan Caidic sa Ginebra, sa national team pa kaya," the source said.

But Uichico on Friday stressed he has nothing personal against anybody in the pool.

"Before I take the job, that’s exactly what I told them. . . when we come here, we should leave behind our personal interest. This is not for ourselves, for our respective teams but for the country," said Uichico.

At the same time, Uichico reiterated he’s ready to patch up things with Aquino.

Meanwhile, Airfreight 2100/FedEx announced it is seriously considering tapping MBA stalwarts Biboy Simon and Danny Capobres to complete its roster.

"This will be their best time to show the kind of stuff they are made of. Simon is a pure shooter who on a good night can torch the basket for 20 points while Capobres is a certified banger whom we can ask to defend against opposing teams’ small imports," said Airfreight/FedEx president Lito Alvarez.

The youthful FedEx executive also said negotiations with Yancy de Ocampo is ongoing as the player is still actively playing for his Welcoat team in the PBL.

Alvarez refused to disclose the total amount of their offer to De Ocampo but said it is definitely higher than the P9-million three-year deal for Renren Ritualo.

The Airfreight/FedEx imports in the 2002 PBA Governors Cup which starts Feb. 10 are Rhoderick Rhodes and Raphael Edwards. The 6-foot-6 Rhodes was a first-round draft pick by the Houston Rockets in 1997 while Edwards, also 6-foot-6, used to be a dominating player in the Venezuelan league.