MANILA, Philippines — The AirAsia Philippine Patriots seek to extend their winning run to seven when they face the San Miguel Beermen in the 3rd AirAsia Asean Basketball League Sunday at the FilOil Flying V Arena in San Juan.
Gametime is at 2 p.m. with the Patriots, sporting a 7-1 slate, seeking payback against the Beermen, who inflicted their lone loss so far in the tournament.
While imports Anthony Johnson and Nakiea Miller have proven steady, Patriots coach Glenn Capacio has stressed the importance of his local crew coming up big to sustain their run.
“We have very good imports but I always believe that our locals will make or break our title bid this year,” said Capacio. “Our system is proving to be successful this time but we can’t relax. We have to be consistent, especially on defense.”
Aldrech Ramos, Jonathan Fernandez and Al Vergara are part of Capacio’s regular rotation.
The Beermen, with a 6-3 card, will offer a different challenge for the Patriots this time with import Jarrid Famous playing only his second game under coach Bobby Parks.
Famous replaced Doug Thomas, who helped the Beermen prevail, 78-70, in their initial meeting with the Patriots.
“He is still trying to feel his way into the team,” Parks said of Famous, who had a three-game stint with the Meralco Bolts in the PBA late last month.
Parks expects big things from slotman Junemar Fajardo, who showed flashes of brilliance in the win against Indonesia last Wednesday.