Bennie Boatwright is ready for a PBA comeback after formally signing on to reinforce San Miguel in the ongoing Season 50 Commissioner’s Cup.
Team manager Gee Abanilla himself told Tiebreaker Times on Tuesday that the 29-year-old has put pen to paper and will begin practicing with the team.
“It’s now official, Bennie Boatwright signed with us already. He will be practicing with us today,” the amiable executive wrote in a text message.
Boatwright will now be the Beermen’s third import in this conference after the team let go of ex-NBA cager Justin Patton, citing unprofessional conduct.
The 7-foot center went AWOL after their loss to Rain or Shine last April 8 and did not show up in their meeting versus Magnolia last Sunday, leaving the team with no choice but to play with an all-Filipino unit in the eventual defeat.
Patton was actually a replacement for original import Marcus Lee, who proved ineffective as the traditional powerhouse went 1-2 to start the tourney.
(C) PBA Images
He did show promise, though, after helping SMB to back-to-back wins, highlighted by an 85-82 decision against Justin Brownlee and Ginebra.
But all that changed after the Elasto Painters game, with his sudden no-show in practices — and then versus the Hotshots — prompting Abanilla to contact the 6-foot-10 Boatwright to come over and assume import duties once more.
The former USC Trojan eventually flew back to Manila following his exit interview with the Daegu KOGAS Pegasus of the Korean Basketball League, and it didn’t take long for him and San Miguel to officially reunite.
It will be Boatwright’s second PBA stint after 2024, in which he led the Beermen to the top of the Commissioner’s Cup by beating Magnolia in the Finals.
A naturalization candidate for Gilas Pilipinas as well, the Los Angeles-native shall be eligible to make his conference debut this Sunday, April 19, when the Beermen take on Robert Bolick and NLEX at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.
