Imports to spice up next PBA conference

A mix of new and not-so-new imports will bring more excitement to the PBA Fiesta Conference starting March 4.

Returning for another tour of duty are Rosell Ellis for Alaska, Shawn Daniels for Air21, Marquin Chandler for Purefoods and James Penny for Red Bull. New faces are J. J. Sullinger of Talk ‘N’ Text, Rod Nealy of Barangay Ginebra, Charles Clark of Welcoat, Kris Smith of Sta. Lucia Realty and Anthony Johnson of Coca-Cola.

San Miguel Beer coach Chot Reyes said he hasn’t made up his mind on whom to choose from a short list of Kelly Whitney of Seton Hall University, Rodney Epperson of Mountain State University and Brian Hamilton of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Ellis, 32, an ex-McNeese State standout, made his PBA debut for Pop Cola in 2001, averaging 30.8 points. He went on to play three more conferences for Coca-Cola and Ginebra before moving to the Australian league.

Daniels led Air21 to third place in the last Fiesta Conference. A wide-bodied center, he scored at a 19.2 clip and grabbed 14.6 rebounds a game. Air21 coach Bo Perasol initially tapped Jesse King of Texas & M but decided to bring in Daniels after securing his release from the National Basketball Development League.

Chandler, like Ellis, is coming off a stint in Australia. The San Jose State forward took Purefoods to the last Fiesta Conference finals, averaging 25.1 points and 13.9 rebounds. Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio said King may play for the Giants until Chandler, recovering from a knee injury, is cleared to play by doctors in the second week of March.

Penny replaced Quemont Greer in the Red Bull roster in the last Fiesta Conference and took the Thunder to the championship. The Texas Christian University standout averaged 21 points and 13 rebounds in 15 games.

Sullinger has the most impressive credentials of the new batch. The 6-5 do-it-all swingman from Ohio State is a lefthander whose style of play is reminiscent of Milwaukee Bucks slasher Michael Redd. Ohio State coach Thad Matta said Sullinger is "quick enough to defend smaller opponents but strong enough to take on post players."

Sullinger began his varsity career at Arkansas, averaging 9.4 points in 12 starts. Last season, he averaged 10.1 points and shot .517 from the field as Ohio State posted a 26-6 record.

The 6-5 Nealy was described as a three who can play the four position by Ginebra coach Joseph Uichico. "He’s an all-around type of player," said Uichico. "He comes from a Division II school (Houston Baptist). He’ll be a nice fit to our team."

Welcoat assistant coach Alex Compton said Clark is a Shawn Daniels-type who plays power forward. "He’s big and stocky," said Compton. "He’s got soft hands. He shoots a high percentage from the floor." Clark was the MVP of the Johnson C. Smith University varsity team last season. He averaged 18.7 points as a senior and shot 23 in Smith’s 71-64 loss to Virginia Union in their conference title game.

Smith played two years for Mansfield University in Division II and two years for Plattsburgh State in Division III. "In our system, we expect Kris to adjust to our 12 locals not our 12 locals adjusting to Kris," said new Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez. "I told the players in our first practice that I won’t ask them for their respect – I’ll earn it."

The 6-5, 190-pound Johnson was once described as an awe-inspiring dunker. Louisiana at Lafayetteville coach Jesse Evans, credited for recruiting stars like Kevin McHale, Jason Terry and Mike Bibby, said Johnson "can play any of the perimeter positions and is capable of running the post – he has such long arms he can sneak in and rebound." Johnson averaged 28 points and 12 rebounds as a Martin Luther King high school senior in Chicago in 1998-99 and scored 14.9 points a game for Louisiana in 2001-02.