Romeo Travis is glad to have Chris Banchero around, as the Fil-Italian guard has arrived to Magnolia on Monday.
Banchero joined the Hotshots a day after the PBA approved the trade between the latter and the Alaska Aces, who got veteran bruiser Rodney Brondial and sophomore Robbie Herndon in return.
The 30-year-old’s arrival to the defending Governors’ Cup champions’ lair has reunited him with Travis. The two previously played together for the Milkmen in the 2015 edition of the season-ending tilt.
“It’s sad to see guys leave, but I’m happy as well because I’ve known Chris for a long time and we’re former teammates. I’m happy for him and I’m happy he’s here,” the former Best Import said.
For Travis, he believes the five-year pro out of Seattle Pacific will mesh well with Magnolia.
“When you know the type of person you’re playing with, it makes it easier. You know he’s gonna go out there and play hard. He’s gonna play the right way, he’s gonna try to help the team win.
“And that’s what we’re looking for,” Travis said. “The basketball stuff will come with time, but right now we just want somebody who’s gonna play hard, play the right way, and help the team win.”
Moreover, Travis pointed out that Banchero can maximize and expand his game now that he’s with the Hotshots despite being full of guards, led by Paul Lee, Mark Barroca, and Jio Jalalon.
“He’s a good defender. Coming here, we’re taking a lot of pressure off him offensively. He doesn’t have to carry so much load offensively, so he can focus on the other things that he does really well — pass the ball, pressure the ball, and be the great defender that he is,” Travis said.
“So this is gonna help him expand his game and do more on the court instead of just focusing on scoring.”
Now with Banchero in the fold, Travis believes that the 6-foot-1 cager will only make Magnolia a much deeper team.
“We got about six guys for three positions. We have four really good bigs, so we really can go ten or twelve-deep. We’re really deep, and it’s gonna be hard to stop twelve players every single night,” closed the veteran cager from Ohio.
“And so that’s the goal for us: to find which match-ups are working for us, what group of guys work best for us that night, and go with those guys.”
