Beermen back vs Bolts; Gin Kings debut against Energy

MANILA, Philippines — San Miguel Beer, the only remaining pioneer in the PBA, returns in place of Petron Blaze Friday as it clashes with Meralco in the Commissioner’s Cup eliminations at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Again donning the familiar jersey of the league’s winningest franchise, the Beermen slug it out with the Bolts at 5:45 p.m., even as crowd-darling Barangay Ginebra also sees action for the first time in the 8 p.m. main game.

The Gin Kings, who made an unceremonious exit in the Final Four of the Philippine Cup after losing Game 7 horribly to eventual champion San Mig Coffee, battle Barako Bull.

“The team is doing okay, that (Final Four exit) is behind us now,” Ginebra guard LA Tenorio said. “We have a great team and we are raring to make a run for another title again.”

The Beermen, now under Biboy Ravanes, himself a member of several champion SMB squads in the past, will parade Oscar Joshua Boone as their import against Brian Butch and the Bolts. Ravanes has American Todd Purves as chief deputy.

San Miguel, which campaigned for several years as Petron Blaze, now boasts  Sol Mercado, who will orchestrate the team offense along with Arwind Santos and gunslingers Marcio Lassiter and Chris Lutz.

But the team’s cornerstone remains the 6-foot-10 June Mar Fajardo, the Philippine Cup’s best player who is tipped by pundits as the man who will dominate the league for the next 10 years.

An interesting sidelight to the game is how Danny Ildefonso will fare against his old team,  where he played his best years while winning back-to-back MVP trophies.

Ildefonso had a falling out with management last season and made the Meralco roster with a short-term contract.

Gary David, Cliff Hodge and new Gilas Pilipinas pool member Jared Dillinger are the other top locals for Meralco, which failed to make it past the eliminations of the Philippine Cup.