Williams, Ross, Manuel impress Bay Area imports

Bay Area imports Myles Powell and Andrew Nicholson admitted that they were impressed by the strong performances of TNT Tropang Giga playmaker Mikey Williams and San Miguel Beer stalwarts Chris Ross and Vic Manuel in the ongoing Commissioner’s Cup of the Philippine Basketball Association.

Powell, a former National Basketball Association campaigner, said Williams’ explosiveness, scoring ability and leadership make him one of the best players in the league today.

Aside from Williams, another Filipino-American guard in Ross caught his fancy after winning nine titles for San Miguel.

“There’s a lot of good players who caught my eye, but I like Mikey Williams and Chris Ross,” Powell, a former member of the Philadelphia 76ers, said.

“Those two good guys are at my size. Chris has a great career here and the accolades that he had won, a champion player and, I think, he already has nine titles here.”

He said he knows Williams back in the United States but they never got the chance to play.

“Then you look at Mikey. He also won not too long ago, last year, I think,” he said.

“Seeing how he scores the ball, it’s impressive. I didn’t have a chance to see them play (in the United States) as they’re older than me and only saw how they play until I got here. But they definitely stood out for me.”

Powell said he is looking forward to face Williams and the Tropang Giga in a battle that will serve as a gauge for the Dragons.

“We haven’t played TNT yet. But we did watch some of their games in the finals (last conference) to check out the atmosphere,” he said.

“We’ve seen how San Miguel won the championship, but we’ve seen how explosive Mikey Williams is and how much of a leader Chris is and how much his team adapts to him whatever he does on the floor. These guys who are at my size, seeing the impact that they have in the PBA, it’s something that I want to experience.”

Nicholson, another NBA veteran, also placed Manuel on top of his list.

Bay Area walloped San Miguel, 113-87, in a game where Nicholson finished with 39 points and 12 rebounds exactly a month ago.

There’s a lot of good players who caught my eye, but I like Mikey Williams and Chris Ross.

While Nicholson was able to impose his will, Manuel fired 15 points to make out the most out of the 16 minutes of action.

“A guy who stood out to me was Vic Manuel when we played against them,” Nicholson said.

“He came in and I think he played 10 to 15 minutes and he knocked in 15 points. He’s very efficient. I kinda reminded at how I was playing in the NBA, too. You just get the minutes, get the job done and sit down. I’m a fan of his and I actually told him that.”