Expansion team Blackwater, coming off a winless conference in the Philippine Cup has tapped an import who could be an instant go-to-guy for the squad.
Chris Charles, a 7-foot-1 import who was a back-to-back Most Valuable Player in the ASEAN Basketball League will shore up the Elite squad seeking its first ever win in the PBA.
Team owner Dioceldo Sy said tapping Charles, who has been here as early as late last year, was a no brainer.
“He’s not only tall, but a skilled player. He has won back-to-back MVPs and he will certainly become our team’s go-to-guy,” Sy told Tiebreaker Times.
“Yun ang kulang namin last time, wala kaming go-to-guy. With Charles around, our frontline has become formidable as he will play alongside JP Erram, Bryan Faundo and Jason Ballesteros,” he added.
Charles, who played for the Hi-Tech Bangkok City, will try to use his familiarity with his teammates once the Commissioner’s Cup opens in February.
If Charles will be bringing in added size to the Elite, San Miguel Beer opted to get an experienced player who is capable of playing alongside June Mar Fajardo, easily the PBA’s most dominant local big man.
Standing 6-foot-9, Arinze Onuaku is a Nigerian born in the United States. He played for the New Orleans Pelicans and the Cleveland Cavaliers and also received an invitation to attend the Indiana Pacers’ training camp.
A product of Syracuse in the NCAA, he ended up as the Orangemen’s all-time field goal percentage leader, averaging 64.8-percent in his collegiate career. With the Beermen, who are current awaiting their finals opponent in the Philippine Cup, parading their twin towers next conference will make life easy for shooters like Marcio Lassiter, Chris Lutz, Ronald Tubid, Alex Cabagnot and the vastly-improving Arwind Santos.
