Davonn, Mick ink P10.5M deals; Torion gets P6M

Red Bull Barako is now excited to plunge back into action and chase a return stint in the PBA finals as it closed yesterday new deals with three key mainstays, three days after acquiring the services of Vergel Meneses from FedEx.

The Photokina Marketing franchise re-signed Davonn Harp, Mick Pennisi and Jimwell Torion to multi-million contracts this early, giving the team no reason not to concentrate on their preparation for the coming new PBA season.

Harp and Pennisi both got a P10.5-million package, guaranteed of a monthly maximum pay of P350,000 until July of 2007. Torion, meanwhile, was given a one-and-a-half-year contract-extension worth around P6 million.

Meneses’ transfer to Red Bull is to be formalized tomorrow. The Aerial Voyager will sign a new contract spread over one and a half years worth P5 million.

After the contract-signing, Meneses would join the Thunder for the first time in practice at the RFM gym in Mandaluyong.

Red Bull, losing finalist in the recent Fiesta Conference, is back in training early since the ballclub has got a commitment, along with Purefoods, to play in an international invitational tournament in Brunei next month.

Before leaving for Brunei, the Thunder will go to Xiamen, China for a team-building session.

With Homer Se moving to FedEx in exchange for Meneses, Red Bull team manager Tony Chua said they might activate 6-foot-5 forward-center Oliver Agapito from the reserve list.

Actually, the existing pacts of Harp, Pennisi, Torion and Meneses won’t expire until the end of the year.

But the ballclub deemed it better to settle everything now so that the team can concentrate on the job at hand.

Still in search of a first All-Filipino crown, the Thunder could well have a better shot at it this time with Meneses beefing up their lineup.

Incidentally, Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao himself has yet to win an All-Filipino championship. He won championships with Red Bull and his former team Swift Might Meaty in import-laced tourneys.