New hope for Phoenix

After three straight losses, the Phoenix Fuel Masters are hoping to break into the win column against Blackwater with a fresh import in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today. Coach Jamike Jarin tried out original reinforcement Jayveous McKinnis for two games and shipped him out when it became apparent he couldn’t hold his own. Le’Bryan Nash was brought in to replace McKinnis but alas, was measured 3/8 over the height limit of 6-6 and ruled out for the game against Rain or Shine, leaving the Fuel Masters importless. The Fuel Masters went all-Filipino and lost, 116-99, blowing an early 12-point lead.

With McKinnis gone and Nash out, Phoenix had three options to fill the import vacuum. One was Guam national player and Japan B-League veteran Earnest Ross. Another was Xavier Alexander who played for the Singapore Slingers in five ABL seasons and has also suited up in Thailand, Taiwan, Mexico and Indonesia. Alexander has made Asia his stomping ground for nearly 10 years and is in town. Then there was former Dominican Republic player Brandone Francis. Ross couldn’t make it because his young daughter developed complications after a tonsillectomy and decided to stay home in the US. Alexander showed up for Phoenix practice but Jarin is rolling the dice with Francis who played for Texas Tech in the 2019 US NCAA final. Francis has seen action in the Dominican Republic, Spain, Colombia, Venezuela and Indonesia. In the Indonesian league the last two seasons, he averaged 22.1 points in 56 total games, hitting .563 from the field. At the FIBA OQT in Belgrade in 2021, Francis scored five points in the Dominican Republic’s 94-67 win over Gilas whose lineup included current PBA players RJ Abarrientos, Isaac Go, Mike Nieto and William Navarro.

Despite McKinnis averaging “only“ 14 points in his two Phoenix outings, the Fuel Masters lost narrow decisions to San Miguel Beer by four and NLEX by five. McKinnis, 25, played as an import only in Cyprus before landing in Manila and his role was complementary as there were three other imports so he wasn’t the sole provider unlike his role in the PBA. McKinnis seemed in awe of the competition he faced. Nash would’ve been a perfect sub.

Jarin said the Fuel Masters are “a very young team but we will get better.” Phoenix’ average age is 28.9 with only four of 16 players over 30. “Team needs to improve ball movement,” he said. “(Against San Miguel), we only had three assists in the first half but in the second, we had 14. Growing pains.” A bright spot is 22-year-old rookie Kai Ballungay whom Jarin called “a young Troy Rosario.”

Blackwater is coming off a rousing 95-88 win over Barangay Ginebra last Friday with new import George King compiling 33 points and 19 rebounds. The Bossing outscored Ginebra from long distance by 28 points, including two fours. Phoenix’ challenge is to snap its losing streak at the expense of Blackwater that’s on a high and riding the momentum of beating Ginebra.