Custis the ‘Ace’ in SMB’s deck of cards

He’s not called "Ace" for nothing. And living up to his nickname, Adrian Custis proved to be the ace up San Miguel Beer coach Joseph Uichico’s sleeve in the recent Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Fiesta Conference Finals.

For four years, Uichico was hot on Custis’ trail. Somehow, he was never available. At least two other teams were also interested.

It wasn’t that Custis ignored the PBA. The timing was never right because when he would be free, the height limit for imports wouldn’t be too low.

This season, the 6-8 Custis tore up the Japanese Superleague, ranking first in scoring (27.7) and assists (5.1) and third in rebounding (13.5). He had previously played in Lebanon, Qatar, Indonesia and Italy.

With the Fiesta Conference winding down, Custis suddenly found himself ready to fly to Manila. His contract with OSG Phoenix in Japan had ended. He phoned Uichico who couldn’t pass up the opportunity even if San Miguel’s import Chris Burgess wasn’t ready to be replaced.

For three weeks, Custis endured the life of a practice player. He showed up in the gym playing the opponent’s role to practice the San Miguel regulars.

Then came the twist of fate. Burgess hurt his ankle and Uichico immediately elevated Custis to the San Miguel roster in time for Game 3 in the Red Bull semifinal series.

Custis, 31, led San Miguel to four straight wins, including two to open the Finals against Talk ‘N’ Text. The Phone Pals broke the streak in Game 3 but San Miguel rebounded to close out the series in Game 5. Custis collected 22 points, 14 rebounds and five assists to fuel San Miguel’s 91-87 win to clinch the title at the Cuneta Astrodome last Sunday.

Uichico said Custis is the second coming of former San Miguel import Lamont Strothers who led the Beermen to several championships.

"Chris was the right import for us in the Alaska and Red Bull series because of their post-up game," noted Uichico. "But Talk ‘N’ Text is a running team and Ace was perfect as our import because of his quickness and intelligence. He’s the kind of player who just keeps playing, no matter the score. He gives you scrappy defense, tough rebounding, good passing and scoring. He never quits."

Uichico said despite his status as a practice player for three weeks, Custis never complained.

"You couldn’t ask anything more from Ace," continued Uichico. "He told me of all the international teams he’s played for, San Miguel is the best in terms of organization, management, teammates, style of play and everything else. When he came in, he never told the guys he’s the man. He told them this isn’t an import show and it would take a collective effort to win the title. It was great to see the locals follow his lead."

Uichico said there were three key factors that led to San Miguel’s victory.

"First, the players wanted to win," he said. "They were hungry. No matter how tired they were, they gave it their all. Their goal was to win. Losing wasn’t acceptable. Second, Ace’s play. He did it all for us. Just before the start of the Finals, his wife flew in so she gave him inspiration. They have two boys, one of them just a few months old. They left their kids with his mother. Third, the players accepted their roles. They set aside egos for the good of the team. They did what they had to do in offense and defense. Take Danny Seigle, for example. He didn’t mind playing six to seven minutes if that’s all we could give him. He knew his role and accepted it."

Uichico said in a long series, Talk ‘N’ Text would’ve won because of its superior lineup, man for man. The Phone Pals would’ve also had the luxury of more games to get Asi Taulava adjusted to coach Joel Banal’s system.

Clearly, there was pressure for San Miguel to finish the series early. The longer it took, the more chances for the Phone Pals to come back.

"The turning point was Game 2," recounted Uichico. "If we didn’t win it then we got blown out in Game 3, we’d be in real trouble because of the momentum shift. After we went up 2-0, we didn’t play well in Game 3. There’s a tendency to relax because you