Star-Phoenix faceoff: A duel of imports?
The Star Hotshots plunge back into action after their strong thirdplace finish in the all- Filipino tourney, fielding import Tony Mitchell as they go up against the Phoenix Fuel Masters and new reinforcement Jameel McKay in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.
Alaska Milk, impressive in its conference debut versus Global-Port on Saturday, seeks a second straight win as the Aces tangle with the Blackwater Elite in the day’s other game.
The Aces and the Elite clash at 4:15 p.m. then the Hotshots and the Fuel Masters collide at 7 p.m. in a grudge match between two teams which figured in a quarterfinals face-off in the last Philippine Cup.
The Star- Phoenix tiff also features an exciting matchup between two Milwaukee, Wisconsin natives who were standouts in college play.
With North Texas, Mitchell bagged the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year honors in 2012 while also making the All-Sun Belt First Team. He then gained All-Sun Belt Second Team citation the following year before joining the NBA Draft.
The 6- foot- 8 forward played for the US team in the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship and made it to the NBA as the 37th pick by the Detroit Pistons.
When the 2013 rookie class convened for its annual photo shoot and filled out its NBA.com Rookie Survey, the class voted Mitchell as the most athletic. He went on to play 31 games with the Pistons in that season.
Meanwhile, McKay made a reputation as a solid two- way player while playing first for Indian Hills CC then with Iowa State.
He was a two-time First Team NJCAA All American with Indian Hills (2012 and 2013) then made the All Big 12 Third Team and bagged the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year with Iowa State in 2015.
He ended his stint with the Iowa State Cyclones with good all-around averages of 11.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks, 0.7 assist and 0.6 steal, underscoring his capability to score and defend.
He brought his stuff in Australia after being left undrafted in the last NBA Draft.