We can go big, go small, go quick
Alab Pilipinas skipper Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. finally saw what new imports Sampson Carter and James Hughes can give the team after their first practice together, Thursday morning at the Enderun College gym in Taguig City. And based on the grin on his face, he liked what he saw.
“It’s a blessing to be honest. It’s great to have them,” the 23-year-old gushed.
“It’s sad with what happened to the brothers but management had to make moves to make a competitive team. We just have to trust them to make a competitive team.”
Now having legitimate anchors as Carter stands at 6’8″ while Hughes is an imposing 6’11” big man, the Gilas Pilipinas standout believes that they will help contain the big men of the five other teams in the league — a problem they struggled with against the Singapore Slingers.
“I enjoy playing with the both of them. As I said, it’s a blessing to be honest,” he shared.
Moreover, head coach Mac Cuan now has the flexibility to either plug in a big line-up or outrun the opponent with a quick line-up as Carter is a threat at three positions.
“I feel like they can help the team so much and we will become a different team. We can go big, go small, go quick because it’s definitely athletic,” the 6-foot-4 wing said.
“We have some options now.”
Carter and Hughes though will be tested in three days when Alab faces Raymar Jose and Kaohsiung Truth. The goal though remains the same for the Manila-based club team Parks stressed.
“We’ll just do our best and try to get the win. It won’t matter who scores the most in our team,” he vowed.
“It’s plain and simple as if we win, everybody gets to eat.”