Comebacking McKiness puts self in better position for PBA crown by joining San Miguel Beermen

UNABLE TO win championships in the first two stints he had in the PBA, Wendell McKiness has put himself in a better position to finally win one as he’ll be playing for reigning three-time Philippine Cup champion San Miguel Beer.

Mr. McKiness confirmed this to BusinessWorld as he watched the Beermen’s Sunday game against the Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings.

Sporting a San Miguel Beer black T- shirt, Mr. McKiness is just as excited to return to action and help his new team.

None makes him more excited than playing alongside the league’s most dominant force — three- time Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo.

“June Mar is probably the best PBA player. I see this as a great opportunity to finally win a championship,” said Mr. McKiness. “I want to win one, like I did while playing in Venezuela.”

Two seasons ago, Mr. McKiness got a return tour of duty in the PBA after an unsuccessful campaign with Alaska. He played for Yeng Guiao’s Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, who made it all the way to the semifinals but were stopped on their tracks by Mr. Fajardo and the Beermen.

Mr. McKiness won’t worry about guarding Mr. Fajardo as he will have the big man on his side.

“He made it easier for everybody. I’m glad to be on his side,” added Mr. McKiness. “As for my new team, I think it has a lot of weapons. It’s a very talented team and everybody’s on their prime.”

San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria said the rationale behind selecting Mr. McKiness is to find a guy who can match up with Justin Brownlee, who will be suiting up anew for reigning Governors’ Cup champion Barangay Ginebra.

“At least, we’ll have someone who can match up with Brownlee. I like McKiness’ game. We had a hard time guarding him last time, so it would be nice to have him on our side,” added Mr. Austria, who quickly jumped on the opportunity of getting the import when his contract ended in Korea.