Meralco tests NBA veteran

MANILA, Philippines - Eight-year NBA veteran Jelani Marwan McCoy wants to play in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup and Meralco coach Ryan Gregorio, in the US since Dec. 27 scouting for imports, may just oblige after sizing up the 6-10, 255-pound center from UCLA in a private tryout the other day.

McCoy, 34, was the Seattle SuperSonics’ second round pick in the 1998 NBA draft and played for Seattle, the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto, Cleveland, Atlanta and Denver in an NBA career that ended in 2007-08. His best season was in 2002-03 when he averaged 6.8 points, 5.3 rebounds and 20.4 minutes in 67 games for the Raptors. In 260 total NBA games, McCoy hit .539 from the floor and .490 from the line – a rarity in that he shot at a higher clip from the field than the stripe.

“We worked out Jelani with (Meralco skills coach) Alton (Lister) and coach Paul (Howard) in Los Angeles,” said Gregorio. “He still has the hops. He’s healthy and eager to come to Manila. We’ll make a decision soon. He has NBA experience and definitely knows the game. Very high percentage shooter but has struggled from the line. But his basketball IQ is up there.”

 McCoy saw action in three seasons with the UCLA varsity and the collegiate connection is an impressive credential. Among former UCLA players are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Reggie Miller, Kevin Love, Baron Davis, Trevor Ariza, Russell Westbrook, Matt Barnes, Jason Kapono, Raymond Townsend (the first and only Fil-Am ever to play in the NBA) and ex-PBA imports Darrell Allums, Mike Holton, Kenny Fields and J. R. Henderson.

 Last week, Gregorio was a guest at a UCLA practice and met Bruins coach Ben Howland. He was invited to watch the UCLA games against Arizona and Arizona State.

 Assisting Gregorio in scouting for imports is Lister who now lives in Manila. Lister, a 16-year NBA campaigner, arrived in Los Angeles to join Gregorio last Jan. 3. “Alton came to help me get an import,” said Gregorio. “Coach Paul is very helpful, too. He has been accompanying us around. The NBA D-League has a lot of good imports, especially tall ones. The biggest issue, though, is the buy-out. But it’s still a worthy league to secure great talents for future reference.”

 Gregorio said he was close to signing up 6-8 Ike Diogu of Arizona State but the New York-born Nigerian accepted an offer from the San Antonio Spurs. “We were close to sealing a deal with Diogu,” he said. “Unfortunately, he was just signed by the Spurs. So, I’m scouting for other options now. I’m scheduled to watch an L.A. Defenders game in the D-League to check out other options. I secured tickets to watch the L.A. Clippers play Houston (the Clippers won, 117-89). The Clippers tickets are the hottest in town. When CP3 (Chris Paul) arrived, they’re always sold out.”

 Gregorio and Lister fly to Reno, Nevada, today to watch the D-League Showcase on Jan. 9-12. B-Meg coach Tim Cone and Barangay Ginebra coach Siot Tanquingcen left Manila yesterday to also catch the D-League action.

 “It’s a full schedule, enough to learn more about the game and talk to agents for import requirements,” said Gregorio who will leave the US for Manila on Jan. 14. “Coach Howland was really accommodating. I talked to him a bit about basketball. Then, he gave UCLA T-shirts.”

 McCoy was a high school phenom who averaged 25.8 points, 16 rebounds and 8.1 blocked shots as a senior in 1994-95. He also shot .875 from the floor. Aside from the NBA, McCoy suited up in Venezuela, Italy, Ukraine, Spain, China and Puerto Rico. In 2009-10, he averaged 17.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocked shots for Fujian in the Chinese league. McCoy shot .686 from the floor but only .360 from the line. His last NBA salary was $154,122 with Denver in 2007-08 and his highest was $751,179 with Cleveland in 2003-04.

 “Definitely, Jelani’s a legit talent. He played great in China and wants to play in the Philippines. There are many talented players in China but they don’t end until the second week of February. It might be too late with only nine games in the second conference eliminations. You really want to start strong.”

 Gregorio said among the import candidates being scouted by PBA teams are 6-11 Korean league veteran Chris Daniels of Texas A&M at Corpus Christi, 6-11 Jameel Watkins of Georgetown, 7-0 Earl Barron of Memphis and 6-10 Shawn Taggart of Memphis. Watkins, 34, has played for Shell and Magnolia in three PBA conferences while Barron, 30, anchored Red Bull in 2005. Barron is an NBA veteran with stops in Miami, New York and Milwaukee.

 The PBA Commissioner’s Cup starts Feb. 10.