Kevin Ferrer joins Tanduay under coach Lawrence Chongson. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
Already one of the contenders for the 2016 PBA D-League Foundation Cup, Tanduay is further bolstering its roster with the acquisition of Kevin Ferrer.
The former UST standout is a huge addition to the Rhum Masters, who are currently sitting at fourth with a 6-3 card.
“We are not leaving any stones unturned,” coach Lawrence Chongson told INQUIRER.net on Saturday.
Ferrer has been practicing with Tanduay since Thursday and Chongson is happy to note that his new recruit is blending well with the team.
“We know the worth of a Kevin Ferrer,” he said of the 6-foot-4 forward. “In the two days that he has been with us, pinakita lang namin yung sistema ng plays and did a walkthrough. We didn’t bother na sa conditioning nya. The players who are with us are already in midseason form and I believe na di rin naman nalalayo yung conditioning ni Kevin.”
Ferrer, who is coming off a stint with the Gilas cadets in the 2016 Seaba Cup, renews his partnership with Gelo Alolino, whom he played with last conference in UP QRS/ JAM Liner.
He will also link up with Kim Lo, who he played with in the Growling Tigers fort.
Chongson believes chemistry would not be the issue with the insertion of Ferrer and his other new addition Jaymo Eguilos in the Rhum Masters roster.
“We know we have made significant strides when it comes to chemistry kasi dito naman sa D-League, chemistry ang labanan. You look at Phoenix and Cafe France, sila na yung mga magkakakilala dahil school-based teams sila, so if we want to win the championship, we know we have to go through them,” he said.
And Chongson is exhausting every means to help his squad break the glass ceiling with only three games left in Tanduay’s schedule.
“I’ve been telling it to my boys every since last conference. If we don’t win the championship, ang bawi na natin next season na sa January,” he said. “Sa amin naman, kung ano ang available na diskarte, that’s what we’ll do. Whatever it is, mag-champion man o hindi, I can live with the consolation that I did everything that I can to help us win.”
Tanduay, one of the pioneer teams in the PBA D-League, has only been able to advance to the semifinals twice before, in the 2013 Foundation Cup and last conference in the 2016 Aspirants’ Cup.
The Rhum Masters will next face league leader Cafe France on Monday.