San Miguel Beermen make PBA Commissioner’s Cup debut with import sub

Ivan Aska will be measured against the yardstick of imports in the Philippines. —FIBA.BASKETBALL

Perennial powerhouse San Miguel Beer takes the wraps off of a new-look roster against NLEX this Wednesday as it begins a quest to reclaim the PBA Commissioner’s Cup that it last won four years ago.

The Beermen will be fielding Ivan Aska—who flew in over a week ago to replace original choice Tyler Stone—in the 8 p.m. clash at Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

An international veteran who was once hailed as the Caribbean league’s finest, Aska will be taking on tall tasks for the Beermen as he will have to clear a high standard set by head coach Jorge Gallent and the club’s history with imports.

“If I’m gonna get an import, it has to be almost the same caliber as [Ginebra’s Justin Brownlee], since he’s up there,” he previously told the Inquirer.

San Miguel has a checkered history with imports, especially with replacements. The last time an option came through for the club was with Chris McCollough, who helped deliver that 2019 championship in this tournament.

It would be a grave miscalculation to pin a team’s title chances on a single man, and that is why the likes of newcomers Jeron Teng and Kyt Jimenez will be crucial.

Teng, a second-generation player who was picked up during the offseason will finally make his debut with the club that his father Alvin served at the height of his PBA career. Jimenez, on the other hand, will finally have his chance to prove that he is much more than a social media success story.

The three new faces should give a new dimension to a San Miguel core high on its successes on both the international and local front.