Dozier flying back for Aces; Reyes discusses Gilas plans with PBA board

MANILA, Philippines — Rob Dozier will fly in for a second tour of duty with Alaska for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup that opens in March as he will try to rekindle the magic he brought in leading the Aces to the championship last season.

The hard-working 6-foot-10 import has confirmed to play for the second straight season for the Aces, who would like to put a mediocre Philippine Cup stint behind and defend the title in the next tournament.

Alaska bombed out of the quarterfinals of the on-going all-Filipino conference, but not after dragging top seed Barangay Ginebra into a rubber match.

Dozier, a teammate of Derrick Rose in college, was described by coaching staff and teammates as the consummate import, much in the mold of the indefatigable Sean Chambers, who made a career out of the PBA.

James Mays, meanwhile, was the first import to fly in and he would have the chance to watch his teammates at San Mig Coffee play with the Mixers leading the Gin Kings, 1-0, in their Final Four series.

A 6-foot-9 banger, the Clemson alumnus wasn’t drafted in the NBA in 2008 but has since played in professional leagues in China, Puerto Rico and Turkey.

In a related PBA development, Gilas Pilipinas coach Chot Reyes will talk in front of the league’s board at noon today to discuss his plans on the training program that the Nationals would need for the Fiba World Championship.

For finishing second to Iran in the Fiba-Asia Championship last August, the Philippines punched a ticket back to the worlds—the first time in almost four decades.

The Fiba World will be held in six cities in Spain, but after that, the Filipinos will head straight to Incheon, South Korea, to play in the Asian Games.

The World Championship and the Asian Games are just a week apart.

RELATED STORY

Chot Reyes wants an intact Gilas five–if possible