James White will return to Mahindra for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup opening on March 17 and complete a task he and the Floodbuster came agonizingly close to accomplishing last season.
“He’s in great shape,” coach Chris Gavina told the Inquirer recently as he brings back the talented White, a 6-foot-9 forward who took Mahindra to the playoffs last season.
Another returnee, Wayne Chism, has signed with NLEX and Yeng Guiao, his former coach at Rain or Shine, and the former Best Import will try to do something he also failed to accomplish as an Elasto Painter: Win a title.
Chism’s stint in the PBA last season ended abruptly when a knee injury had him playing just two games.
But the most celebrated returnee of all would have to be Justin Brownlee, who will suit up for two straight conferences for Barangay Ginebra, counting the Gin Kings’ defense of the season-ending Governors’ Cup.
Brownlee, who saw action recently for Mighty Sports in Dubai, led the Kings to their first title in eight years last season when he drained the marginal three-pointer in Game 6 as Ginebra defeated Meralco.
Reigning three-time Philippine Cup champion San Miguel Beer, on the other hand, has signed up Korean Basketball League veteran Charles Rhodes as the Beermen gun for the second jewel of what could be a shot at a Grand Slam later in the year.
Last season, the Beermen encountered import problems when original pick Tyler Wilkerson, then enjoying performances worthy of the Best Import award, had a run-in with coaching staff and was asked to leave.