SMB parades new import for PBA Commissioner’s cup
Tyler Wilkerson, a journeyman who has played professionally in different parts of the globe, will be suiting up for San Miguel Beer even as GlobalPort, which made an impressive run in the PBA Philippine Cup, remains to be without an import two weeks before opening day.
A former standout at Marshall in the US NCAA, Wilkerson is a 6-foot-8 forward who can definitely lighten the load in the middle for the injured two-time reigning MVP June Mar Fajardo when the Commissioner’s Cup comes off the wraps on Feb. 10.
The arrival of Wilkerson completes the lineup of imports for San Miguel group’s three teams, with Denzel Bowles, a former Best Import winner, returning for Star and Otyhus Jeffers suiting up for Barangay Ginebra.
Bowles won a title when the Hotshots, then playing as San Mig Coffee, ruled the conference under Tim Cone three years ago.
Jeffers, on the other hand, played one game before, with TNT, and will return with a different team. He scored 38 points and had 12 rebounds in a 111-105 win over Meralco and will come into a Ginebra crew badly in need of a take-charge offensive guy.
GlobalPort, meanwhile, after finishing fourth in the all-Filipino, has yet to sign up a reinforcement with management and coaching staff weighing their options meticulously.
“We think it won’t hurt us to be meticulous in our choice,” GlobalPort team manager and alternate board member Eric Arejola said.
The Batang Pier already had their eyes on Keith Gallon, a second round Draft pick of the Milwaukee Bucks in 2010.
But Gallon got a call from an NBA D-League franchise from the Chinese pro league and opted to go there instead.
GlobalPort was bannered by Jarrid Famous last year when they lost a twice-to-beat advantage against Cone and the Hotshots in the quarterfinals.
Wayne Chism, who won the Best Import award last year, is also returning for another tour of duty with the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters.
Another former winner of the award, Rob Dozier, has signed up for Alaska and will be looking to reprise a performance that helped the Aces win the event in 2013.
Ivan Johnson, the temperamental one who rearranged Rain or Shine guard Paul Lee’s teeth in the title series last season, comes back for the Tropang Texters.
