Ginebra import Justin Brownlee against San Miguel in the PBA Governors’ Cup.–PBA IMAGES
Barangay Ginebra has yet to see its off-season gambit of reeling in new talent in exchange for veteran presence pay off, but one of its pillars knows that such a scenario is just around the corner.
“It’s a little challenging, but we’re still trying to get to know everybody,” the import Justin Brownlee said recently. “You know, running the triangle offense is not easy. It’s a challenging offense to try to learn and have a lot of success early.”
The crowd darlings injected youth into their roster by trading for Stephen Holt and Isaac Go for Christian Standhardinger, a consistent contender for the league’s MVP and BPC honors, and Stanley Pringle.
Included in that deal was a Draft Day swap that the Gin Kings eventually used to pick RJ Abarrientos, a young playmaker who made waves in South Korea and then played in Japan.
The 1-1 Gin Kings, who are slotted in Group B, have yet to see consistency from their new guys.
Holt and Abarrientos have taken turns showing out for the club, with Holt, who won Rookie of the Year honors last season while with the Dyip, scoring 14 in the loss to Rain or Shine and Abarrientos 13 in a 108-102 win over San Miguel last Sunday.
Go, meanwhile, has hardly been the impact player he was with Terrafirma.
Brownlee is not making a mountain out of a molehill. Instead, he is looking at how his new teammates have been trying to make things work for the good of the club.
“I got to give the guys a lot of credit,” he said. “They’ve been going hard at it. They’ve been really focused and locked in.”