Kettle Korn parades Fil-Am, UST Tigers

Kettle Korn, one of the three guest teams seeing action in the PBL Silver Cup starting on Saturday at the San Juan Gym, will parade not only the core of the UAAP champion Santo Tomas squad but also a Fil-Am sensation in Josh Urbiztondo.

Team manager Elmer Yanga made the announcement in Monday‘s official team launching attended by top RFM officials headed by owner Joey Concepcion.

"This is basically our team," said Yanga, who managed the RFM’s PBA team for more than two decades before retiring a few years ago.

"We hope that UST’s winning ways in the UAAP will spill into the PBL," Yanga said.

But focus will also be on Uzbiztondo.

The San Mateo, California-based Urbiztondo played for Fresno Pacific University from 2004-2005 and started in 28 of the 29 games as a senior with norms of 11.2 points, 3.3 assists, 2.4 boards and 1.7 steals a game.

As a junior, Urbiztondo saw action in all 29 games, including 28 starts with averages of a second-best 11.5 points, a team-high 3.5 assists and 2.1 rebounds.

Prior to Fresno, Urbiztondo helped power the Hillsdale High Knights to a pair of league championships in his four seasons and then entered Foothill College before transferring to Fresno.

He was an all-conference selection at both Hillside High and Foothill.

"He’s good, he’ll be a big contributor to the team," said Kettle Korn coach Pido Jarencio, who steered the Tigers to their first UAAP title in a decade, in Filipino.

Joining Urbiztondo at Kettle Korn are 2006 UAAP Finals MVP Jojo Duncil, Japs Cuan, Allan Evangelista, Dylan Ababou, Anthony Espiritu, Joseph Cortez, Mark Canlas, Chester Taylor and Jun Dizon and former Tigers Warren de Guzman and Derrick Hubalde.

The team also tapped former Jose Rizal standout McDonald Santos.

Other teams seeing action in the season-closing conference are Magnolia Dairy Ice Cream, Hapee Toothpaste, Harbour Centre, Henkel-owned Sista Sealant, TeleTech, Toyota Otis and guest teams Cebuana Lhuillier-Pera Padala and Mail & More.