Little-known facts about imports

Here are some little-known facts about the imports slated to play in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup starting Feb. 8. These are things that don’t usually show up in a player’s curriculum vitae.

Petron’s Renaldo Balkman has a variety of nicknames. He answers to “Taz,” “Kool” and “The Plastic Man.” South Carolina announcer Mike Morgan coined “The Plastic Man” because, in his words, “I’ve never seen a player at any level who can contort his body in such a manner…he made plays at the University of South Carolina that made me swear he was an invertebrate.”

Tattooed on the back of his lower legs are two words “Hustle” and “Harder” which characterize his game. Balkman is known for his all-court hustle and work ethic. He plays at a high level of intensity and sometimes, gets carried away by the heat of the moment. In 2008, Balkman unleashed an elbow to Sasha Vujacic’s jaw while playing for the New York Knicks in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers. He was tagged a flagrant-2 and ejected in the Knicks’ 120-109 loss. That resulted in a one-game suspension without pay for Balkman.

At the FIBA Tournament of the Americas in Argentina two years ago, the short-fused Balkman reacted to a holding foul by Venezuela’s Greivis Vasquez on a spin move to the basket and headbutted the New Orleans Hornets guard. He was ejected and suspended a game. The incident happened with Balkman’s Puerto Rico team ahead, 85-62, over Venezuela with about five minutes left.

In 2009, Balkman was arrested by police after refusing to take a blood-alcohol content test on suspicion of driving under the influence (DUI) at 4 a.m. in Florida. He was booked at 5:30 a.m. and released at 12:30 p.m. after posting a $500 bond.

While playing for the Knicks, Balkman impressed New York fans with his “take-no-prisoners” defensive approach and became a Madison Square Garden favorite. He was recognized for his “hell-bent, game-changing style.” The Big Apple press described him as “a sparkplug off the bench” and “a crowd favorite for his hustle and enthusiastic defense.”   

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Although Balkman never averaged in double figure points at South Carolina, he was picked on the first round by the Knicks in the 2006 NBA draft. It was rumored that Knicks general manager Isiah Thomas chose Balkman to get on agent Leon Rose’s good side. Rose also represented soon-to-be free agent LeBron James whom Thomas coveted. The highlight of Balkman’s varsity career was when he compiled 28 points on 11-of-15 from the field, 16 rebounds, two blocked shots and four steals in South Carolina’s 67-56 win over Alabama in 2006.

Balkman was called by South Carolina coach Dave Odom a “glider.” “He’s got a great sense of the game,” said Odom. “He glides through traffic. He’s long and has great athleticism, he’s a hardened kind of basketball player.” Balkman’s SAT score was questioned and his eligibility to play for South Carolina as a freshman was in doubt until he was finally cleared.

Balkman attended three high schools in four prep years, starting at Armwood then moving to Blake before landing at Laurinburg Institute in Tampa, Florida, as a junior. To prepare for Laurinburg, Balkman went to the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He suited up for Puerto Rico at the FIBA World Championships in Istanbul in 2010 and led the squad to the Pan American Games gold medal in Mexico the next year.

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Global Port’s Justin Williams is nicknamed “Junebug.” He has an older sister Rita and a twin brother Jason. A teammate at Thornwood High School in South Holland, Illinois, was 7-foot NBA veteran Eddie Curry.

Although Williams played only two years with the University of Wyoming varsity, he wound up the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots with 244 in 58 games with 56 starts. He was named Defensive Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference (MWC) twice.

In the 2005-06 MWC semifinals against the University of Utah, Williams compiled a triple double with 10 points, 15 rebounds and 12 blocked shots. In the finals, he had 16 rebounds and five blocked shots as Wyoming lost a 69-64 heartbreaker to San Diego State. Cowboys coach Steve McClain called Williams “a special inside player.” An independent scouting report in the eurobasket website said Williams is “an outstanding defensive player who has the ability to change a game with his shot-blocking and rebounding, he can contest every shot, forcing the opponents to stay away from the middle, runs well, decent hook shot but otherwise, raw offensively, a tenacious rebounder.” As a Wyoming senior, Williams averaged 11.1 points, 11 rebounds (sixth in the NCAA) and 5.4 blocked shots (second in the NCAA) while shooting .515 from the floor and .558 from the stripe.

Williams was never drafted by an NBA team but managed to earn over $1.1 Million playing 48 games for the Sacramento Kings and one for the Houston Rockets over two seasons. Before transferring to Wyoming, Williams saw action for Colby Community College in Kansas where he posted a triple double with 14 points, 16 rebounds and 11 blocked shots against Bethany College.

In 2007, Williams was under investigation on a sexual assault probe involving a young women’s appearance in a Sacramento hospital. He was placed on leave of absence by the Kings to hire legal counsel but district attorney Jan Scully later cleared him of any charges, citing no evidence to support a case.

More facts on imports in future columns.